The President Of The Dominican Republic Explores The Tesla Model 3
The President of the Dominican Republic explored the Tesla Model 3 this week in what almost looked like a party at the docks on the island nation.
The celebratory event serves to highlight just how symbolic Tesla is, and specifically the Model 3, when it comes to representing advanced vehicle technologies. The Model 3 carries with it some of the luxury halo effect from its larger, admittedly more posh, siblings, but at a lower price that more people can afford.
The high-profile event in the Dominican Republic with President Danilo Medina shows how the car is seen as a symbol of hope for the future and an icon of advanced technology. The first Model 3 in the country arrived in the Dominican Republic back in November and, much like we have seen in other countries around the world, was mobbed with interest from car enthusiasts and the general public.
It is impressive to see the Model 3 arriving in the Dominican Republic, even without any Superchargers or even Destination Chargers in the country. Plugshare does reveal that there are 14 charging locations in the small country, with one of those being a CCS Combo DC fast charging station that is, ironically, located at the Porsche dealership.
The $42,900 price tag of the most affordable Model 3 from Tesla still isn’t cheap or affordable, but it represents the next in a series of steps down from the $130,000+ price tag of the Tesla Roadster the company sold just a few years prior. When the Tesla Model 3 was first unveiled in March of 2016, it was aimed directly at mainstream consumers with a before-rebates price of $35,000.
When Tesla handed the keys cards over to the first 30 owners at the delivery event for the Model 3, Elon broke the news that the vehicle would eventually be available with two battery packs. The Long Range pack would be the only option at launch with a Standard Range pack expected to follow shortly thereafter.
By all measures, the Tesla Model 3 appears to be on track to become the new Toyota Prius, but with features that rival the BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes C-Class, and the Audi A4. That’s a lot of customer segments to pull customers from and if the streets of many cities in California, Florida, New York, and other states and countries around the world are any indication, Tesla is well on its way.
For most of us, the Model 3 isn’t a Tesla thing, it’s a planet thing. It represents the tip of the spear for the movement to electrify transportation and cut emissions out. It puts power back into the hands of the people, who no longer have to fund proxy wars for oil in the Middle East or utilities dirtying up their local air and can instead install solar and drive on sunshine. The future is now. It’s here. Are you paying attention? Are you a part of the rEVolution?
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