How did I miss this?
12/06/16 10:17
I can’t believe I took so long to get back to writing about reserving our Tesla Model 3 – now mostly styled as ☰ (funny that this has returned to 3)
Yes, we stood in line with about four hundred (yes 400) other about-to-be-Tesla-owners surrounding the Tesla gallery* in Austin.
It was an enlightening experience for us. The majority of the folks in line where not you average EV buyer, yet they were all waiting to put money down on a car that none of us had seen.
The common thread was that they all thought that this car -and this company – had the best chance of delivering what we all needed in an EV.
What sealed the deal for us was ostensibly the Superchargers which are now an optional extra for Model ☰ owners. Having a coordinated network of charging locations that are matched to the capability of the car makes a world of difference.
Add that to it being a car that wasn’t aiming at the bottom. It isn’t a cheap car that is electrified like a Sonic EV or a Leaf. It is coming down the range from where the Model S inhabits.
The Model 3 is like the Model S in that it is aiming to be better than an ICE car, not just some econobox with a battery.
So yes, we are waiting for a car that won’t be delivered until at least christmas 2017.
We paid our deposit which really is a win/win option for us. We know we want a Tesla, so even if we don’t like the Model ☰ when it arrives we will probably be able to get a CPO Model S for a similar amount.
Either way It will be Tesla fast, have lots of pre-installed options that will be unlocked by OTA updates, have a great community of committed advisors, a great network of charging opportunities to get us anywhere in the US.
* I say “gallery” because the dealer association funded politicians of Texas keep deciding that the car with the most American content which is American made is ineligible to be sold in Texas, so we can’t have a Tesla Store here, sorry. Hopefully that will change before the Model 3 releases, but knowing the level of funding that NADA puts into political campaigns I’m not so sure.
Yes, we stood in line with about four hundred (yes 400) other about-to-be-Tesla-owners surrounding the Tesla gallery* in Austin.
It was an enlightening experience for us. The majority of the folks in line where not you average EV buyer, yet they were all waiting to put money down on a car that none of us had seen.
The common thread was that they all thought that this car -and this company – had the best chance of delivering what we all needed in an EV.
What sealed the deal for us was ostensibly the Superchargers which are now an optional extra for Model ☰ owners. Having a coordinated network of charging locations that are matched to the capability of the car makes a world of difference.
Add that to it being a car that wasn’t aiming at the bottom. It isn’t a cheap car that is electrified like a Sonic EV or a Leaf. It is coming down the range from where the Model S inhabits.
The Model 3 is like the Model S in that it is aiming to be better than an ICE car, not just some econobox with a battery.
So yes, we are waiting for a car that won’t be delivered until at least christmas 2017.
We paid our deposit which really is a win/win option for us. We know we want a Tesla, so even if we don’t like the Model ☰ when it arrives we will probably be able to get a CPO Model S for a similar amount.
Either way It will be Tesla fast, have lots of pre-installed options that will be unlocked by OTA updates, have a great community of committed advisors, a great network of charging opportunities to get us anywhere in the US.
* I say “gallery” because the dealer association funded politicians of Texas keep deciding that the car with the most American content which is American made is ineligible to be sold in Texas, so we can’t have a Tesla Store here, sorry. Hopefully that will change before the Model 3 releases, but knowing the level of funding that NADA puts into political campaigns I’m not so sure.