“The obvious thing to do is to decouple that [cost] from the cost of the Model 3”, Mr. Musk said at the annual shareholder meeting. As Tesla looks to beef up its Model 3 production, there is one issue that the owners of the new electric auto will have to face; Supercharging.
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Of course, you can always charge your Model 3 overnight at home but, if you’re planning on driving long distances, you’ll want access to Tesla’s impressive network of Supercharger stations, too.
The unveiling of the Model 3, for example, took place in front of a small crowd of 800 people-most of them randomly selected Tesla owners.
However, since Model 3 consumers will still have the choice to unlock lifetime access to the Tesla’s Superchargers as part of a concealed package. The chargers that make up the company’s proprietary Supercharger network recharge the car’s battery at a faster-than-normal rate.
Those models will remain cutting-edge, technology leaders, and will also pay for new tech to make its way to the Model 3.
The vehicle, expected to cost from £30,000 ($43,350) when released in 2017, has had more than 400,000 pre-orders since unveiled in March this year – far exceeding Tesla’s estimates.
Musk said he no longer uses an office but spends his time on the production line watching how Tesla’s are built. Panasonic Corp., the supplier of battery cells for the Model S and the Model X sport utility vehicle, is an investor in the plant. Instead of using cylindrical cells that measure 18 millimetres x 65 mm, they will move to cells that are 20mm x 70 mm.
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Hence, it is just right that Musk discussed the matter during a shareholder meeting in Mountain View, Calif. on Tuesday. Gigafactory invitees include customers who had referred five other Tesla customers. As of May 15, Tesla has received $1,000 deposits from about 373,000 customers making reservations on the Model 3.
