CONFIRMED: Test ride the Model 3!

[TEG]

In past Tesla model reveal events, they:
#1: Made a custom drivable concept car that looks close to the intended final product, but used drivetrain components from previous models.
(For instance, I think Model S concept car had a Daimler chassis, and maybe Roadster motor, but outside looked like what they planned to build.)
#2: Took attendees for limited rides around the design studio parking lot.

I think the concept cars tend to "live" at the design studio behind a wall away from prying eyes, and may only venture out for limited test drives, disguised, at night around the airport there so that nobody unauthorized gets a chance to know ahead of time. I think the concept cars are really a way for the style designers to show what the body will look like in motion. I think the tech underneath the skin is still a work in progress, and they just piece together whatever they can to show a concept of what it will be like in a couple/few years. I wouldn't expect the concept car performance to exactly match the production car. The interior could likely change a lot based on past experience too. Between now and production, I would expect to see some "alpha" and "beta" prototypes that are much closer to production intent, and likely to be spotted on the road and on test tracks.

Concept cars tend to be "hand built" by specialists who do one of a kind vehicles of this type. The Fremont factory may have had very little to do with it.

 

[Tam]

...it doesn't say specifically which car you'll be riding in...

That is an interesting interpretation.

You've got a point such as in a wine tasting invitation, if it says:

"7PM: tasting session start"

They can legally provide other kinds of tasting such as cheese that has not a drop of wine for the whole event.

However, I don't think Tesla has ever done that in the past.

When it invites you for something, that something is there.

 

[aronth5]

Excellent news. I would love to know what GM is thinking right now with this information out. For anyone considering purchasing a Chevy Bolt it will be interesting how test rides and the extra media coverage it will generate will make some decide delay or put off buying the Bolt.

 

[S'toon]

Stuff it people who have been promoting that "The reveal will be only drawings" nonsense!

 

[Tam]

...what GM is thinking...

It's a whole different animal

GM has its own internal team, and guess what it's called?

"Team Tesla!"

My belief is with such rich resources, the Auto Industry including GM could easily catch up with Tesla. Especially, as Tesla has opened up its patents, there are no good excuses that they cannot.

As long as they can't catch up in BOTH:

1) range
2) Supercharging rate

I still consider their cars are "compliance" cars and they are not serious about cutting the umbilical cord from the oil industry.

 

[aronth5]

It's a whole different animal

GM has its own internal team, and guess what it's called?

"Team Tesla!"

My belief is with such rich resources, the Auto Industry including GM could easily catch up with Tesla. Especially, as Tesla has opened up its patents, there's no reason that they cannot.
.

Lets assume for sake of argument they can easily catch up. The larger question then is at what cost to their franchise dealers? Their current business model based on making profits on service is up for a rude awakening so it would be fascinating to see how quickly they learn to adapt. Many dealers won't and the industry will have to change quickly..

 

[R.S]

Just to throw this out there, though it probably is of the model 3, it doesn't say specifically which car you'll be riding in (also note "ride" not "test drive"). They could be using the the S and X (also?).

That would be very unlikely, if the Model 3 is the only thing revealed. If they also do a Model S refresh, it could be possible, but if they just show the Model 3, why would they let lots of Tesla owners test drive their own cars? Every one of the six hundred something winners must be a Tesla owner and this invitation form is only for the winners.

 

[ankitmishra]

"After the unveil, rides will be available to all guests. Ride times will be allocated on a first-to-arrive basis at check in"

Just to throw this out there, though it probably is of the model 3, it doesn't say specifically which car you'll be riding in (also note "ride" not "test drive"). They could be using the the S and X (also?).

Nothing against you, but sometime we can avoid such confusion by using basic sense. Why would they give rides of Model S and X to the owners of the cars? This is just like the rumor that they will only be showing pictures of the car at the reveal, which has proven to be baseless now.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Nothing against you, but sometime we can avoid such confusion by using basic sense. Why would they give rides of Model S and X to the owners of the cars? This is just like the rumor that they will only be showing pictures of the car at the reveal, which has proven to be baseless now.

exactly. the invites that went out to the press said "take a ride in what we've been working on" (paraphrasing, but i'm not that far off).

One could reasonably assume they've been working on the Model 3.

 

[ElectricTundra]

Elon dislikes taking a beating and he's taken a severe one over the X. Enough that he admitted that he made a mistake in making the X so complicated. My guess is that overall styling will be a bit more radical than S&X but overall it will be fairly simple and relatively simple to build compared to S&X. They started initial work on the 3 about the same time as the X but prioritized production for the X. They've also apparently begun building lines for the 3.

I'd not be at all surprised if they don't target initial deliveries for early 2017 or even late 2016 and that what they show on the 31st is fairly close to production ready. This is the only way Elon can have something much more than a 'yep, what we expected' event and I think he'd really like to have his own Jobs moment.

 

[MrBoylan]

That sounds like you will be able to sit in the prototype(s) of Model 3 and a Tesla employee will drive you around? As opposed to you taking a test drive yourself. Or am I misinterpreting the wording?

Regardless, sounds very cool and congratulations, hope you have a nice time!

This is what they did at the Model X event in September with the few Founders cars they had on hand. The only people who had a chance to drive it at that time were journalists.

But I'm not so sure that what you'll be riding in is a Model 3. Something weird about the wording...

"After the unveil, rides will be available to all guests. Ride times will be allocated on a first-to-arrive basis at check in"

Just to throw this out there, though it probably is of the model 3, it doesn't say specifically which car you'll be riding in (also note "ride" not "test drive"). They could be using the the S and X (also?).

Although I doubt the test rides will be in a Model S or Model X (that would be a complete bait and switch), I too find the wording of the invitation to be a little odd:

"We can't wait to show you what we've been working on." is not the same thing as saying "We can't wait to introduce you to the Model 3." The invitation to journalists had just about the same wording: "take a quick spin in what we've been working on" is not the same thing as "take a quick spin in the Model 3."

I suspect that they will show a "current prototype" of the Model 3 but they may actually come out and say, "the aesthetic design and other details of the Model 3 have not yet been finalized."

I mean, we already know it won't be an exact match of the final production car - it will be a prototype - but I wonder if it will be as far along in design as the S was in 2009 when they gave test rides in the early prototype or the Model X in 2012 when that first prototype was unveiled. Having read Vance's biography of Musk and seeing some of the things they went through at both Tesla and SpaceX to reach specific (and extremely aggressive) cost targets, I'm betting they are still finalizing cost targets for all or many of the Model 3 components, and a successful launch of the Model 3 in 2017 will depend on them being able to bring everything down to the required targets in time for launch.

I do think that Musk and company are going to throw everything they have at getting production cars available for late 2017, but I'm betting they will not reveal a whole lot of details about the Model 3 (particularly options pricing details) at the Model 3 launch event. I wouldn't be surprised if the overall design - even the shape of the car - may change significantly over the next 18 months. Maybe I'm just reading too much into the wording, though. Perhaps what we see next week will represent the final aesthetic design (at least on the outside) of the Model 3.

In any case, someone please sneak in a measuring tape and let us know how wide it is!

 

[mccormas]

In past Tesla model reveal events, they:
#1: Made a custom drivable concept car that looks close to the intended final product, but used drivetrain components from previous models.
(For instance, I think Model S concept car had a Daimler chassis, and maybe Roadster motor, but outside looked like what they planned to build.)
#2: Took attendees for limited rides around the design studio parking lot.

I think the concept cars tend to "live" at the design studio behind a wall away from prying eyes, and may only venture out for limited test drives, disguised, at night around the airport there so that nobody unauthorized gets a chance to know ahead of time. I think the concept cars are really a way for the style designers to show what the body will look like in motion. I think the tech underneath the skin is still a work in progress, and they just piece together whatever they can to show a concept of what it will be like in a couple/few years. I wouldn't expect the concept car performance to exactly match the production car. The interior could likely change a lot based on past experience too. Between now and production, I would expect to see some "alpha" and "beta" prototypes that are much closer to production intent, and likely to be spotted on the road and on test tracks.

Concept cars tend to be "hand built" by specialists who do one of a kind vehicles of this type. The Fremont factory may have had very little to do with it.

Did the previous reveals have test tracks with the suspension testing bumps and such that the picture has? It seems pointless to show off handling if the chassis isn't the one that will be used. Just a question.

 

[TEG]

Did the previous reveals have test tracks with the suspension testing bumps and such that the picture has? It seems pointless to show off handling if the chassis isn't the one that will be used. Just a question.

No - just cones around a parking lot. If like the other events, they will show off some acceleration, and ability for it to make corners. They may talk up some of the "telematics" features they have planned. I think that picture in the original posting here was of some final delivery test run at the Fremont factory for production cars coming off the line, not what they will use to show off a probably concept car.

 

[int32_t]

"After the unveil, rides will be available to all guests. Ride times will be allocated on a first-to-arrive basis at check in"

Just to throw this out there, though it probably is of the model 3, it doesn't say specifically which car you'll be riding in (also note "ride" not "test drive"). They could be using the the S and X (also?).

My inner skeptic says rides in the facelifted Model S will be available, not the Model 3.

 

[Vic_F]

With 800 people to ride at 4 per car and 2 min total for ride (inc. load and unload) that is 400 total minutes. The show starts at 8:30 and likely ends maybe 45 minutes later.. My guess is they need at least 3 cars. It would seem ridiculous to have "rides" in an S or X.

 

[TEG]

With 800 people to ride at 4 per car and 2 min total for ride (inc. load and unload) that is 400 total minutes. The show starts at 8:30 and likely ends maybe 45 minutes later.. My guess is they need at least 3 cars. It would seem ridiculous to have "rides" in an S or X.

If like past events, it could take hours to go through the rider list, and some may not even get a chance.
The fact that they limited this event to a much smaller group than past events (like the first X Founders' deliveries) may be related to the fact that they have a limited number of vehicles (maybe only 1?) for test rides.

 

[ggnykk]

As other pointed out, Tesla always has drive-able prototype years before the production. For example, there was already a working Model X back in 2013, Youtube has video of that.

 

[Colsla]

My inner skeptic says rides in the facelifted Model S will be available, not the Model 3.

I doubt it.. doesnt facelift mean aesthetic changes (I don't know what exactly facelift means/includes in cars)? If so, there is no point of inviting current owners. Plus Tesla didn't have an event when they introduced ludicrous mode. Also it's a model 3 event..so I think Tesla wouldn't want to lose focus and make the event about giving people rides in Tesla. People can just book test drives.
I dont mean to attack you in any way but it just seems pointless.

 

[butchmank9]

That would be very unlikely, if the Model 3 is the only thing revealed. If they also do a Model S refresh, it could be possible, but if they just show the Model 3, why would they let lots of Tesla owners test drive their own cars? Every one of the six hundred something winners must be a Tesla owner and this invitation form is only for the winners.

That right they will not have the majority of the people that are coming to the event, test drive there own car.

 

[Grendal]

There will be a number of Model 3 prototypes. People will be able to drive in them.

Tesla is a car manufacturer now. They can make a number of prototype vehicles that are good enough to showcase what they want with the Model 3. Think about it. They can stamp the body parts easy. Tesla can stamp an aluminum battery pack shell and use Model S/X cells for these cars since they have them pre-bundled. The understanding is that they are using one of the motors they already use. So I'm sure this is difficult but hardly impossible for Tesla to do well enough to highlight everything they want to highlight about the car.

10 Alpha prototypes for a manufacturer that now builds over 5000 to 6000 cars a month. I don't see the problem.

Congratulations to everyone that is going. I have faith that Tesla will step up to the plate and build a great car.