The Tesla Model 3 is arguably the most important car that Elon Musk’s company has ever made. The cheapest electric car from the company is going to enter new markets, including India and it has already caught people’s attention here. Although the Model 3 isn’t going to be available in India till 2018, many of the country’s rich population has already pre-ordered one for themselves. Well, things may change in two years, but you know one thing, the tech inside will not.
Price: Not cheap for Indian buyers
The $35,000 price tag translates to around Rs. 23.2 lakh, but the final price of the Model 3 may be still higher when it comes to India. According to reports, duties applied could bring the price up to Rs. 50 lakh even, but let’s hope for the best. The car can be booked right now, for a $1000 (approx Rs. 67,000) down payment, but deliveries will begin in the US in 2017, and in India in 2018.
Design: A mix of luxury and comfort
The Tesla Model 3 is a mid-sized saloon that features comfortable seating for five adults. The rear roof has a continuous glass pane, which starts from the top of the roof, extending till the back of the car. Since, this is an Electric car, it has luggage compartments both at the front and the back. It’s quite minimalistic inside and Tesla has equipped the Model 3 with a single large touchscreen.
Engine: 0-60mph under 60 seconds
If you search for “Tesla model S vs supercar” on Youtube, you will find yourself bewildered by the videos you watch. The science behind it is simple; unlike a petrol powered engine, which needs to build up revs and change gears and then gradually reach its peak power, an electric engine can work on its peak power right from the starting line. While tesla hasn't revealed any details about the new engine under the Model 3, Elon Musk confirms that it can do 0-60 mph under 6 seconds.
Safety: A 5-star rating
The Tesla Model 3 will come with a 5-star safety rating across all its models, which makes it one of the safest electric cars to drive. According to research, most number of deaths in car collisions occur from front and side impacts. So, the Model 3 undergoes various barrier crash tests from the front and side. It is also tested in a pole crash test that mimics the impact with a tree. A five star rating is then awarded to vehicles signifying that the probability of crash injury is much less than average.
Smart-car: Autopilot mode
Tesla cars are famed to be not just simple electric cars but also smart and autonomous to some extent. Like the previous two models, the Model 3 also comes with smart features and the car can steer itself, automatically detect the traffic ahead and adjust cruise control, change lanes if necessary and even park itself avoiding obstacles. All these options may not be available on the base model though.
Challenges: Range and recharge
The biggest challenge with electric cars today is that the technology is not developed enough to make it as user friendly as using a petrol car. Essentially, electric cars have a smaller range and take hours to charge. While, the Tesla Model 3 does not change that, it does come with a good range of 346 km and super fast supercharging technology. As for charging stations, Tesla will reportedly spend the time till 2018, building its supercharger network in India. That said, we will have to see how Tesla will be able to provide services in Indian conditions. Moreover, how the Model 3 will perform on Indian roads is yet to be seen.