New Tesla Model 3 promises 200+ mile range

It’s not often we get excited about the unveiling of a car, let alone a ‘bottom of the range’ model, but of course this is no ordinary car – this is a Tesla Model 3.

In a glitzy event last night from LA, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, treated a hall of whooping fans to the newest, most affordable electric car in their range. Following on from the success of the Model S and Model X, the Model 3 promises 5-star safety across every category of the car, and significantly improved battery life, with a range of at least 215 miles, though Musk said “these are minimum numbers – we hope to exceed them.”

The lowest spec model will go from 0-60mph in less than six seconds, comfortably fit five adults (and a seven foot surfboard apparently), and include supercharging and AutoPilot safety features as standard, though whether this will be the full hands-off experience we’re yet to see.

It also looks far more Europe-friendly than the previous larger models, meaning the narrow cobbled streets of provincial Britain shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the American wagon.

Of course, the most exciting news is the price. Gone are the days of the $100k+ Tesla Roadster, instead the Model 3 comes in a wallet-friendly $35,000, which works out around £24,000. That sum shouldn’t trouble the world’s 94^th richest man, but is a figure regular Joes like us can almost dream of thinking about, and should excite the 115,000 people who already placed a $1,000 deposit on the car.

Musk said expects the cars to be delivered at the end of 2017.

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