Which Tesla Model 3 customizations will be available to initial buyers?

I went in a different direction to reduce the Model S number to 1500. I removed the paint colors, autopilot, and wheels. That brings the number from 161280 to 1920 for the Model S.

Obviously autopilot makes no difference for the factory workers - they're putting in the same equipment no matter what. Wheels and paint I figure are all easily interchangeable.

I went in a different direction to reduce the Model S number to 1500. I removed the paint colors, autopilot, and wheels. That brings the number from 161280 to 1920 for the Model S.

Obviously autopilot makes no difference for the factory workers - they're putting in the same equipment no matter what. Wheels and paint I figure are all easily interchangeable.

So this?

For the record... I'm predicting the glass roof will not be an option at launch. Rather, I think it will be mandatory. They're keeping it simple at the start, and the glass roof is a signature Tesla item. I can't imagine they'll have 10,000 solid roof 3's running around when we haven't seen a single solid roof yet! They'll charge for it, and we'll pay or we'll wait. That's what I think, anyway.

So my guess is initially there will be a single battery, a single roof, 5 colors, a single interior but 4 dash trims, 2 wheels, and premium sound. There, that's 80 configurations. That's < 100 :)

I'm frankly stunned that we don't know more yet. How do you source parts for cars if you don't know demand for options? How do you know demand for options if you don't allow at least some buyers to configure? Unless the employees who get first dibs are air-tight, leak-proof and already configured... which I doubt.

@Electric Jen , very good analysis and interesting build from all who posted in the subsequent exchange!! Well done!!

Now, while I understand it is intriguing to speculate on how you get to such a low number for Model ≡ yet I continue to take the infograph with a green of salt... with some of its components - most notably total trunk & frunk volume - are probably best called alternative facts... :rolleyes:

First, let's remember the sole purpose of this document, already revised once by the way... It is so much less about educating Store employees to represent what Model ≡ will offer, than about making sure they do everything to get as many reservation holders to take a closer look at the superior (yet quite a bit dearer...) Model S!!

The less than 100 figure - whichever way you get to that - will not hold water very long after launch, and even less after they scale up to 5,000 cars per week, let alone 10,000 (which, if all goes well, should be by 2Q18...). The 500k (or more) reservation holders, i.e. all or most of us here..., expect more collectively and there will be more... progressively over the next couple of years...
Actually, T≡SLA may even have to correct this sooner than we think if a large amount of initial reservation holders are not happy with upfront delivery choices hence delay for a long while until incremental stuff is added... ;)

Yet, in the end, who am I...? Just a guy who loves T≡SLA, yet who decided long ago to speak his mind... openly, yet as objectively as humanly possible...

And, even by July, we may still have a few surprises... ;) I do believe the car will be great, and a fantastic offering for its price...

I'm frankly stunned that we don't know more yet. How do you source parts for cars if you don't know demand for options? How do you know demand for options if you don't allow at least some buyers to configure? Unless the employees who get first dibs are air-tight, leak-proof and already configured... which I doubt.

I read that Tesla is going to have a very short turnaround in their supply chain. They will be able to have 45 days to pay for supplies and they are confident they will be able to deliver the vehicle in less time. Additionally, they already have stats on what people order with Model S, so they may already be on top of it. I guess we'll find out soon!

I read that Tesla is going to have a very short turnaround in their supply chain. They will be able to have 45 days to pay for supplies and they are confident they will be able to deliver the vehicle in less time. Additionally, they already have stats on what people order with Model S, so they may already be on top of it. I guess we'll find out soon![/QUOTE]

I'm sure you're correct that they'll have an exceptionally short turnaround time on supplies.

[QUOTE="bcsteeve, post: 6042, member: 7780"]I'm sorry, but I think the problem is simply your application of the math and logic.

I'm going to do some math of my own and I'll come back.

[edit]

I take that back, sorry. Your math was fine, it was just some logic. But ultimately I came to close to the same conclusion. I get 169344 possible combinations.

The easiest way to do it is to think of there being 7 configurations, not 5: 75, 75D, 90D, 90D with Air suspension, 100D, P100D, P100D with spoiler (which is only available on the P100D currently). Each of those can have one of 7 paints, 2 roofs, 4 wheels, 9 interiors (the 4 premium interiors can each have carbon fiber or not, the basic doesn't have that option), 3 Autopilot setups (including none), and then there are 4 binary yes/no options.

Right, the point was figuring out what they meant by 1,500+ (certainly not 169xxx) and trying to extrapolate that to get to <100.

After doing some math but frankly guess work and assumptions (I suppose all of this is), I think I found out some of the options cost and how Elon Musk thinks the average cost someone will pay for a Model 3 is $42,000.


---------Paint---------
Matte Black - Included in Base Price (due to clear demand)

White - Included in Base Price (this is not multicoat white, Tesla will need more than 1 base paint option, and one of the most simple paint options (also I expect it to be included thanks to the abundant amount of white Model 3 release candidates so likely a popular option)

Blue - $500 (lower quality paint than Model S's Deep Blue Metallic option, less surface area to paint, and comparable to Chevy Bolt)

Silver/Gray - $500 (more complex paint than white and less surface area to paint over the Model S Silver Metallic)

Possibly Red Multi-Coat - $1,000 (much more luxurious but costs less than Model S due to (again) less surface area to paint)


---------Wheels---------
18" Silver Razor Wheels - Included in Base Price (simplest of wheel options and easiest to manufacture)

19" Dark Gray Spiral Wheels - $1,500 (more material, less popular, and different color)


---------Roof---------
Solid Roof - Included (do I need to justify this?)

Glass Roof - $1,000 (less glass than on Model S Glass Roof (which was previously a $1,500 option) and expected to be VERY popular


---------Interior---------
Black - Included (likely fabric and a common base interior option)

Tan - $1,000 (smaller interior than Model S, lower quality leather, and comparable to Ford Focus Electric interior (Chevy Bolt Interiors are all the same price))

White - $1,000 (Model S White and Tan Interiors are the same price)


---------Battery---------
60 - Included (Base Model 3 Battery (could be a 55kWh battery, however it would be the same price))

75 - $2,500 (Tesla's Battery costs will be about $170/kWh will gigafactory capacity increasing (could be a 70kWh battery, however it would have the same price over a 55kWh battery))


---------Premium Upgrades Package---------
$3,000 (Closer to Chevy Bolt's +$4,000 Premier Trim, however Tesla would have to be crazy to make it cost more than Model S's upgrade cost ($3,500))


---------Enhanced Autopilot---------
$5,000 (least confident estimate (extremely expensive for Model 3 buyers however it's the same software on Model S)


---------Full Self-Driving Capability---------
$3,000 (least confident estimate (extremely expensive for Model 3 buyers however it's the same software on Model S)


---------Subzero Weather Package---------
$500 (maybe included in Premium Upgrades Package to reduce configuration complexity)


---------Premium Sound---------
$500 (comparable to Chevy Bolt Infotainment System, less complex than Model S, and no XM radio)



Elon Musk's $42,000 Model 3

Model 3 - $35,000
Matte Black or White Paint - Included
18" Silver Razor Wheels - Included
Glass Roof - $1,000
White Interior - $1,000
70/75kWh Battery - $2,500
Premium Upgrades Package - $3,000
Subzero Weather Package? - Included

Total: $42,500




Note: A lot of this stuff will likely be very far off from what actually pricing. Nonetheless, considering what options people are considering popular, what is not, and competition, some of the pricings could be close to reality

You mean my quote of the tow hitch? No, Elon stated the tow hitch will be an option from the beginning. So I am serious.

You could also view the hitch as an accessory, not an option... That is what many carmakers do... ;)

@bcsteeve , everybody is entitled to their own perspective, as well as to disagree... as long as the posts expressing negative feedback or divergent opinions remain written in a constructive, not insulting or unnecessarily provocative style.

I had no idea what @vincent wolf was referring to when he originally posted 'wow Tesla keeps deleting my negative comment...' in this thread. For the record, I can attest that we mods on this forum at least would normally not delete a post, unless its content is inappropriate and typically reported as such by other forum members or if it is blatant spam. I have already muked a few of the latter recently as we do not expect members visit this forum to look for the best muscular or aging cream... :D

Finally, you should know that the post by Vincent you are referring to is showing to mods as deleted by @vincent wolf himself ... :rolleyes::rolleyes: I have not deleted any other of his posts here or elsewhere, nor am I aware that other mods did. @Teslaliving , @gene , please build on this as you deem fit...

Hope this helps. Relax guys, we're here to learn from eachother and have fun... It's all good!

http://keycdn.mturkcrowd.com/emoticons/hug.gif

I think everyone can trust Michael Russo in what he says as a moderator. At the same time.......Sometimes, he places posts "off topic" when he thinks the post does not relate to the subject which is being discussed. But that is probably normal, although sometimes I have my question marks in this fundamental discussion. Anyway I think Michael's intentions are genuine and sincere. He has integrity always considered of paramount importance. And I do not think he is a secret agent of Tesla, the Sicilians, Trump or the Russians or are you, Michael ha, ha??

There is however one post / topic I started I couldn't find anymore after I wrote it, though.
It contained amongst other things my drawing experiences when I was a boy from around the age of 6/7 to around 16. Back then.... in the beginning of the sixtees to the seventees, all those years more than once a month I drew the head/ the face of a man. Never knew who the drawn man was and never understood why I was drawing him, but knew he was somebody important. Never had seen him and forgot almost all about the drawings untill............last year when I saw pictures of Elon Musk. I almost got a heart attack; At that moment I realised I, as a child, had been drawing somebody out of the future. So strange.
What did you do with that post/ topic, Michael..................................Did you delete this in compliance of Elon's orders????????, ha, ha!

Ok, here we go again with links[/quote] yes, so wrong of me to want sources with things being referenced. [QUOTE="Mergoscia, post: 6094, member: 7425"]Sometime this last year I saw the same quote but with the addition "from the beginning".

and that's why YOU should demand sources too! Because you read, apparently believed, and passed on... a falsehood. "Fake news", as seems to be the popular term these days. The quote I have was easily found on the ORIGINAL Twitter feed, and the invented "from the beginning" is simply not there.

Wow, now that Elon announced that upon initial launch the only available options will be color and wheel size, it makes my decision easy. I'll wait for the AWD so I can also get (hopefully) other options like bigger battery, winter package, leather, etc. If the ONLY thing I was waiting for was AWD, it would have been a much more difficult decision.

BTW, it's amazing how far we've come since the Model T! The Model T came in any color as long as was black, the Model 3 will come in multiple colors and different wheel sizes, too! :)

Wow, now that Elon announced that upon initial launch the only available options will be color and wheel size, it makes my decision easy. I'll wait for the AWD so I can also get (hopefully) other options like bigger battery, winter package, leather, etc. If the ONLY thing I was waiting for was AWD, it would have been a much more difficult decision.

BTW, it's amazing how far we've come since the Model T! The Model T came in any color as long as was black, the Model 3 will come in multiple colors and different wheel sizes, too! :)

you're assuming the initial configuration won't be what you want. My guess is that the larger, more popular, more profitable battery will be in the initial production. Plus, it probably will only be wheels and colors for the first buyers, which are employees. Remember, they have to start getting cars out in July to appease stock analysts and media... but that doesn't mean to real customers, necessarily. My guess all along is September for first real customers.

The $200/kWh cost for Tesla is already way below the nominal cost reported by others of $300. Also Tesla expects that in a few years their cost to drop to $140/kWh. So I think manufacturing cost of $200/kWh is probably what it is with the 2170 today. I think Tesla is making a mistake by not lowering the price by offering a 50 kWh option. If they ever run out of demand on the T3, they should consider dropping it to 50 kWh.

Most likely, Tesla will be pushing $50,000 and $45,000 T3 configured cars. Once demand dries up, they will offer a basic car for $40,000. Then they will drop that after a couple of years to $35,000 - and claim they have made the $35K car. So don't hold your breath for a $35K car this September. We are talking about 2021 at least.

The $200/kWh cost for Tesla is already way below the nominal cost reported by others of $300. Also Tesla expects that in a few years their cost to drop to $140/kWh. So I think manufacturing cost of $200/kWh is probably what it is with the 2170 today. I think Tesla is making a mistake by not lowering the price by offering a 50 kWh option. If they ever run out of demand on the T3, they should consider dropping it to 50 kWh.

Respectfully, I think it will be a while before demand for Model ≡ slows down... There are probably now well over a half a million reservations... And I expect the number will shoot up after the final reveal & production launch, when people are going to see every day on the street....

Most likely, Tesla will be pushing $50,000 and $45,000 T3 configured cars. Once demand dries up, they will offer a basic car for $40,000. Then they will drop that after a couple of years to $35,000 - and claim they have made the $35K car. So don't hold your breath for a $35K car this September. We are talking about 2021 at least.

The car will be a $35k car from day one... as base price. Yet very few people buy a car without any option. If you mean, when will there be a Model ≡ with options for $35k, that may actually be 2021, or never... ;)

Respectfully, I think it will be a while before demand for Model ≡ slows down... There are probably now well over a half a million reservations... ;)

I can confirm ... there are over half a million reservations. (Info from staff at a TESLA store, who also expect that TESLA is going to make these before the end of 2018).
We should presume increasing demand that will continue to exceed supply untill TESLA has several factories pumping out cars.

I can confirm ... there are over half a million reservations. (Info from staff at a TESLA store, who also expect that TESLA is going to make these before the end of 2018).
We should presume increasing demand that will continue to exceed supply untill TESLA has several factories pumping out cars.

I'm sorry but you can't "confirm" that (though I think it only makes sense that its true). Some Tesla store staff member isn't going to be privy to that information. His/her personal opinion is no more qualified than yours or mine.

Demand probably will fall sharply after launch. That's pretty inevitable and in no way me just being pessimistic, etc. It happens with every new car (or anything, really). There's always a spike of interest at the beginning. MANY people who are lining up to get one are doing so because of the novelty factor. That - by its very definition - goes away immediately after launch. If demand were steady, then there wouldn't be half a million reservations... there would be closer to 10 or 20 million. There were 400,000 just a couple weeks after reveal, so with steady or increasing demand surely that number would be at least 10 million by down. Anyone think that's the case? Nope. They'll rather quickly get to the point of being able to satisfy demand (which will be considerable). They could never - and SHOULD never - produce a model Y if they can't ever satiate demand for the 3.

Anyway, all I'm saying is you're using "confirm" a bit too loosely here.

I'm sorry but you can't "confirm" that (though I think it only makes sense that its true). Some Tesla store staff member isn't going to be privy to that information. His/her personal opinion is no more qualified than yours or mine.

Anyway, all I'm saying is you're using "confirm" a bit too loosely here.

Don't be telling everyone that arithmetic is impossible, or that TESLA hires ONLY persons who are math deficient. . . basic arithmetic is actually easy, even for average people and TESLA likes to hire persons with above average intellect..

I'll continue to stand by my post above.

Is not the 4th color flat black?

Configuration of 60 and 75 kWh does not make sense. Too close together. More likely is 50 kWh and 75 kWh. Besides, who needs 60 kWh, when 50 kWh can do almost everything.

Is not the 4th color flat black?

Configuration of 60 and 75 kWh does not make sense. Too close together. More likely is 50 kWh and 75 kWh. Besides, who needs 60 kWh, when 50 kWh can do almost everything.

It would seem that a 10 kWh would add at least 15-20 miles of range, no? That would matter for lots of us who want to start from the $35k + a few essential options...

My take on this was that the configurations of the Model 3 to be offered were being limited because of the manufacturing impact they would have. Less configurations = easier to streamline and ramp up production.

To that end, maybe items like paint and upholstery color, even wheels, are not as much of a concern? Items like roof type, premium sound, battery size, AWD, etc. would have more bearing on manufacturing complexity. It looks like if you remove color, wheels and interior from the Model S calculation, you get about 1000 combinations.

With manufacturing impact in mind, autopilot related options are all in software since all cars will have the hardware installed, so there could be logic behind excluding those too.

Those numbers definitely work out. (Note the non-counted items are not in yellow and for math purposes, are just valued at 1.)

I did a similar exercise and thought about it more from a manufacturing standpoint. They have to paint the car, right? So maybe they don't see that as much of a difference for the manufacturing process.

I think it's important to note not only what is said in the Model S vs Model 3 comparison, but also what is NOT said. Notice that the HEPA filtration system is mentioned for Model S but not the Model 3 (so I think this rules out the premium upgrade package). Also, the premium sound nor subzero weather package are mentioned for either which tells me they might be available on the Model 3. There won't be any room for rear-facing seats on the Model 3. So with all this in mind:

o 2 roof options (glass or metal roof)
o 4 configurations (60/75/75D/P75D) (Elon said there would be Ludicrous mode!)
o 2 wheels (18"/19")
o 3 interiors (black/white/tan)
o 2 sound system options (standard or premium) (could also be subzero weather package)

This yields 96 possibilities on Model 3 and 7680 on Model S.

I did a similar exercise and thought about it more from a manufacturing standpoint. They have to paint the car, right? So maybe they don't see that as much of a difference for the manufacturing process.

I think it's important to note not only what is said in the Model S vs Model 3 comparison, but also what is NOT said. Notice that the HEPA filtration system is mentioned for Model S but not the Model 3 (so I think this rules out the premium upgrade package). Also, the premium sound nor subzero weather package are mentioned for either which tells me they might be available on the Model 3. There won't be any room for rear-facing seats on the Model 3. So with all this in mind:

o 2 roof options (glass or metal roof)
o 4 configurations (60/75/75D/P75D) (Elon said there would be Ludicrous mode!)
o 2 wheels (18"/19")
o 3 interiors (black/white/tan)
o 2 sound system options (standard or premium) (could also be subzero weather package)

This yields 96 possibilities on Model 3 and 7680 on Model S.

Same math works out if you swap 2 wheels with subzero, since wheels have to be added on during the manufacturing process regardless of size, which was Taylor's take.

All very interesting!

Same math works out if you swap 2 wheels with subzero, since wheels have to be added on during the manufacturing process regardless of size, which was Taylor's take.

All very interesting!

Yes, I agree. We're all coming up with similar conclusions independently. I think you're right that Taylor's assessment makes the most sense if tossing on a different wheel size is similar in concept to throwing on paint. It's the same car.

I'm looking forward to seeing the cost difference here in the coming 4-6 weeks!

Color options?
I think you can order every color you want at Tesla, as long it is black.
The same strategy as Henry Ford did, simple and hardly any options. How many years ago was that?

I'm sorry, but I think the problem is simply your application of the math and logic.

I'm going to do some math of my own and I'll come back.

[edit]

I take that back, sorry. Your math was fine, it was just some logic. But ultimately I came to close to the same conclusion. I get 169344 possible combinations.

The easiest way is to think of there being 7 configurations, not 5: 75, 75D, 90D, 90D with Air suspension, 100D, P100D, P100D with spoiler (which is only available on the P100D currently). Basically make each unique option as its own main config. Then handle the options common to all: each of those can have one of 7 paints, 2 roofs, 4 wheels, 9 interiors (the 4 premium interiors can each have carbon fiber or not, the basic doesn't have that option), 3 Autopilot setups (including none), and then there are 4 binary yes/no options.

So yeah... not sure what they mean by "1500+" configurations. It is sort of a nonsense comparison with the 3. If there's 1 battery, 5 paints, 2 wheels, no interior choice, 3 autopilot configs... that's only 30 possible configurations. Give us a single interior choice and two batteries and we're at 120.

Right, the point was figuring out what they meant by 1,500+ (certainly not 169xxx) and trying to extrapolate that to get to <100.

Admittedly, when I initially posted, I just assumed you screwed up with the math and the real combination figure would be closer to 1500. It never felt to me that there were that many options with the S. Clearly i was wrong, and I apologize for the presumption.

I don't think we can make a meaningful extrapolation. I don't think it makes sense to eliminate main configurations as "configurations"... lol... that's exactly what they are! My guess is they are simply made up numbers Tesla put on that talking points sheet to just make their point that there will be less customization. If I were to remove something to justify the 1500+... I'd probably go from my 7 to 6 configurations (just ignore the spoiler), take out the paint (every car has to go for paint regardless of what you choose), take out the wheels (from their perspective, that's easy bolt on stuff), software (because the hardware is the same), remove the rear facing seats (nobody takes them anyway), and the premium sound (because whoever came up with the 1500+ nonsense forgot it). That takes us to 1728.

Or... go from my 7 to your 5 configurations (makes sense), still no paint, drop interior from 9 to 5 (ignore carbon fiber), keep the 4 wheels, still no AP, and bring back the sound (who forgets sound)? Rear facing seats are still out, but that comes to 1600 even.

Lol... pointless number manipulation if you ask me.

There is one thing missing. Which is a certainty. The famous tow hitch. That one will be for sure in the options.

Sarcasm, correct?

So this?

This one looks like the choice of colors at Ford 100 years ago.
"You can have all colors you want, as long it is black". Ha. ha.

Sarcasm, correct?

You mean my quote of the tow hitch? No, Elon stated the tow hitch will be an option from the beginning. So I am serious.

You mean my quote of the tow hitch? No, Elon stated the tow hitch will be an option from the beginning. So I am serious.

Unless you have a link, I have to assume you mean his tweet from April of last year where he said, "There will be an optional tow hitch.". That's ALL it said, so how do you expand on that to mean "from the beginning"?

Or was there something else?

I seriously doubt he's going to prioritize a tow hitch for a small sedan.

I predict that whatever options they DO offer won't be enough to placate some reservationists who will then cancel out.

I predict that whatever options they DO offer won't be enough to placate some reservationists who will then cancel out.

Anyone who cancels out because of some option that isn't available at launch wasn't going to go through with it anyway... they were looking for an excuse. Unless, I guess, it's something major like no supercharger access or autopilot, but we already know that's not the case

So I get a notification from this forum that this thread has the following reply:

"Wow Tesla keeps deleting my negative comments. So much for honesty."

Sounded paranoid, but I get here and (lol) it has been deleted.

I realize the Internet is not 'Merica and forum admins/mods the world around have determined Freedom of Speech need not apply... but come on. It *REALLY* diminishes the value of a discussion if both sides can't be heard. I don't know what was or wasn't deleted, but certainly the comment I quoted is not there now. On the other hand, I may have missed some inappropriate posts too, but we'll never know because it seems to have vanished.

Or it was just a glitch? or? Any explanation would be helpful moving forward.

@bcsteeve , everybody is entitled to their own perspective, as well as to disagree... as long as the posts expressing negative feedback or divergent opinions remain written in a constructive, not insulting or unnecessarily provocative style.

I had no idea what @vincent wolf was referring to when he originally posted 'wow Tesla keeps deleting my negative comment...' in this thread. For the record, I can attest that we mods on this forum at least would normally not delete a post, unless its content is inappropriate and typically reported as such by other forum members or if it is blatant spam. I have already muked a few of the latter recently as we do not expect members visit this forum to look for the best muscular or aging cream... :D

Finally, you should know that the post by Vincent you are referring to is showing to mods as deleted by @vincent wolf himself ... :rolleyes::rolleyes: I have not deleted any other of his posts here or elsewhere, nor am I aware that other mods did. @Teslaliving , @gene , please build on this as you deem fit...

Hope this helps. Relax guys, we're here to learn from eachother and have fun... It's all good!

http://keycdn.mturkcrowd.com/emoticons/hug.gif

Probably some mix of technical gaff and misunderstanding. My guess, from what you've said, is he accidentally deleted it and assumed it was taken down by the powers that be (and he seemed to think that was Tesla themselves... so yeah, misunderstanding exists at some level for sure).

And I probably should have minded my own business. I'm bored today. But don't you DARE delete this, you $#*)@@!!!! Oh, and please visit www.buymymuscularagingcream.com and tell them Steve sent you.

Laterz!

Unless you have a link, I have to assume you mean his tweet from April of last year where he said, "There will be an optional tow hitch.". That's ALL it said, so how do you expand on that to mean "from the beginning"?

Or was there something else?

I seriously doubt he's going to prioritize a tow hitch for a small sedan.

Ok, here we go again with links................................If I should keep all those links or comments I wouldn't even know where to find them in a professional build up Archive. It would be an archive with hundreds of folders/ dossiers. And when one should place it in a physical Archive, the archive would strech fo a couple of miles. Sometime this last year I saw the same quote but with the addition "from the beginning".

I think everyone can trust Michael Russo in what he says as a moderator. (...) Anyway I think Michael's intentions are genuine and sincere. He has integrity always considered of paramount importance. (...)
What did you do with that post/ topic, Michael..................................Did you delete this in compliance of Elon's orders????????, ha, ha!

@Mergoscia , first of all appreciate the vote of confidence and positive feedback; I take this role seriously and with enthusiasm!

Related to your missing post, I'll take the 5th on that one... :D

On a more serious note, scout's honor, I do not remember this post (think I would if I had... ;)) hence did not do anything with it...

[QUOTE="bcsteeve, post: 6091, member: 7780"]Probably some mix of technical gaff and misunderstanding. My guess, from what you've said, is he accidentally deleted it and assumed it was taken down by the powers that be (and he seemed to think that was Tesla themselves... so yeah, misunderstanding exists at some level for sure).

And I probably should have minded my own business. I'm bored today. But don't you DARE delete this, you $#*)@@!!!! Oh, and please visit www.buymymuscularagingcream.com and tell them Steve sent you.

Laterz![/QUOTE]
LoL!! Good one, Steve from BC! :D

It would seem that a 10 kWh would add at least 15-20 miles of range, no? That would matter for lots of us who want to start from the $35k + a few essential options...

If the $35K vehicle is for a 60 kWh Model 3, then if battery cost is $200/kWh for Tesla and thus $400/kWh for the consumer, I rather have a $31,000 Tesla with 50 kWh of battery. That extra 15 to 20 miles of range is not worth $4,000.

If the $35K vehicle is for a 60 kWh Model 3, then if battery cost is $200/kWh for Tesla and thus $400/kWh for the consumer, I rather have a $31,000 Tesla with 50 kWh of battery. That extra 15 to 20 miles of range is not worth $4,000

I can understand that, @Sacred Balone* .

However, two things need to be considered. Published premises point to T≡SLA having brought down battery costs notably under $200/kWh, particularly with the new, more energy efficient 2170 cell produced at Gigafactory 1, where they will fully leverage the benefits of scale.

In addition, Teslarati reported recently on indications the base battery will be 60 kWh. So I would not expect anything lower for some time.