Tesla has started
selling a new variant of the Model 3 compact electric sedan, but it’s not the US$ 35,000 variant that the world was promised two and a half years ago. Instead,
this new model, dubbed the Mid-Range version, sits between the entry-level (but
still non-existent) Model 3 and the high-end Long-Range version.
Priced from US$ 45,000, the new variant uses the same battery as the Long-Range Model 3 but
has fewer cells. Consequently, its range is down from 498 km to 418 km. The vehicle’s top speed has also been reduced from 233
km/h to 201 km/h, while 96 km/h acceleration takes 5.6
seconds, 1.1 seconds more than the Long-Range. Buyers of the Mid-Range Model 3
will only be able to opt for rear-wheel drive, as the dual-motor, all-wheel
drive option is limited to the Long-Range and Performance variants.
What this means for
the hundreds of thousands of people who pre-ordered the entry-level Model 3 is
that they will have to wait until at least February before deliveries commence.
By this time, Tesla vehicles will no longer be eligible for the full US$ 7,500
federal tax credit as it will be reduced to US$ 3,750 starting January 1st, 2019.
The credit will
then drop to US$ 1,875 on July 1st before being scrapped completely at the end of
2019. It’s likely that some Model 3 customers who pre-ordered the US$ 35,000 Model
3 in early 2016 won’t benefit from any tax credit as a result.
