Tesla Model 3 Mid Range! Unexpected New Option Now Available [Hot!]
Tesla has unexpectedly dropped a “Mid Range” battery option into its Model 3 variants, officially the Tesla Model 3 Mid Range Rear-Wheel Drive, priced competitively and still offering great real-world driving range.
The additional good news is that this variant has expected delivery dates of 6–10 weeks, meaning that early signups should still receive the full US federal tax credit.
Although the Tesla Model 3 Mid Range does not yet have official EPA range ratings, Tesla states its estimated EPA range is 260 miles, which is plenty, even for road trips. The Mid Range variant is only currently available with rear wheel drive. You still have to take the premium interior package (which costs $5,000 extra).
Effectively, we are getting access to a price reduction from $49,000 for the Long Range battery (with premium interior) to $45,000 with the Mid Range battery (also with premium interior). This is logical, but was seemingly not expected by anyone outside of Tesla since there was never any hint of it.
At the same time, the Long Range battery is now only available on the configuration with the dual motor or dual motor performance options.
The most affordable Long Range variant is therefore now the dual motor non-performance, with a base price of $54,000.
However, Elon Musk has recently tweeted that the Long Range Rear Motor will still be available as a special order “off menu” for the next week or so:
After the coming week, the dual motor (non-performance) will presumably be the most affordable Long Range variant.
Why this unexpected change to the line up?
This reconfiguration of options makes the new Model 3 Mid Range available at a price which likely still gives Tesla a good gross margin — more so than the Standard Range variant which many are still waiting for. Yet it also gives buyers who are half on the fence about spending the extra money for the Long Range (and securing the full tax credit) a way to resolve their dilemmas.
The Mid Range’s 260 EPA miles is still a fantastic real-world range, fully capable of very convenient road trips. It will also likely have charging speeds very close to the Long Range variant, so be able to add 160–170+ miles of highway speed range (ideal driving conditions) in 30 minutes.
The savings of $4,000 is significant, especially when it enables the full tax credit, which was looking to only be available on a Long Range variant. After the US federal tax credit, the base Mid Range’s effective cost will be just $37,500 or $35,000 in California with the EV rebate there.
At the same time, this reconfiguration allows Tesla to squeeze slightly higher margins from the Long Range battery, requiring buyers to order the Dual Motor (or Performance) options. There’s no doubt the new options will still maintain good margins for Tesla for the final quarter of 2018, whilst at the same time opening a window of opportunity for on-the-fence buyers uncomfortable to go the full 9 yards for the Long Range — allowing them to barely grab the full tax credit (if they order quickly).
This story will develop more over the coming hours and days, so keep your eyes open.
Do you approve of the new lineup? Jump in to the comments to let us know what you think.
More tweets based on customer questions:
It’s a long range battery with fewer cells. Non-cell portion of the pack is disproportionately high, but we can get it done now instead of ~February
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2018
It’s kind of like the post office. Same price for delivery to Maine as the SF Bay Area. But you do get a free Tesla factory tour, which is really fun to see.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2018
Tesla rear wheel drive cars do actually work well on snow & ice. We did our traction testing on an ice lake! Dual motor AWD is great, but not required for cold weather. Just don’t use sport/summer tires.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 18, 2018
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