Model 3 Standard Range (Canada) Range: 150km

[MD-2000]

This is all the government's fault. They offered an incentive for any EV with sale price less than $55,000 provided there was a base model for less than $45,000. Rumor has it this was concocted by Detroit lobbyists to freeze out Tesla. Other logic is "why should Joe Taxpayer give money to people buying expensive luxury cars?"

Tesla responded by offering a $44,999 car so limited almost nobody would take it (150km range); but offering it qualifies them to sell $54,999 Model3 SR+ and that will qualify for the rebate.

It's debatable whether the range is fixed due to government regulation, or simply Tesla not wanting to sell a large number of relatively useless vehicles and then have to deal with unlocking and added feature issues later. I don't think the auto regulations are quite up to the challenge of software-unlocking features.

Also, with stop-and-go traffic in the middle of winter, at -20C, I find I was using up to 3 or 4 km for each km travelled, thanks to cabin heat and cold batteries, and frequent traffic lights - average speed 25km/hr over the commute. I would hope your Canadian commute is pretty short if this vehicle works for you.

 

[kartboy16]

This is all the government's fault. They offered an incentive for any EV with sale price less than $55,000 provided there was a base model for less than $45,000. Rumor has it this was concocted by Detroit lobbyists to freeze out Tesla. Other logic is "why should Joe Taxpayer give money to people buying expensive luxury cars?"

Tesla responded by offering a $44,999 car so limited almost nobody would take it (150km range); but offering it qualifies them to sell $54,999 Model3 SR+ and that will qualify for the rebate.

It's debatable whether the range is fixed due to government regulation, or simply Tesla not wanting to sell a large number of relatively useless vehicles and then have to deal with unlocking and added feature issues later. I don't think the auto regulations are quite up to the challenge of software-unlocking features.

Also, with stop-and-go traffic in the middle of winter, at -20C, I find I was using up to 3 or 4 km for each km travelled, thanks to cabin heat and cold batteries, and frequent traffic lights - average speed 25km/hr over the commute. I would hope your Canadian commute is pretty short if this vehicle works for you.

Originally, Elon stated the Model 3 would start at $35,000USD so I really don’t see this as “the governments” fault.

To me, it just looks like Tesla concluded that, rather than create multiple hardware lines, it would be better to offer one hardware version and just change the range to create different price points; thus the SR- SR and SR+. Margins are probably tight on the SR- so they make it harder to order.

 

[MP3Mike]

Originally, Elon stated the Model 3 would start at $35,000USD so I really don’t see this as “the governments” fault.

But doesn't that $35,000 USD convert to more than $45,000 CAD? (Especially after adding some for extra transportation expenses.) So no Model 3 would be eligible for the credit if they just kept the SR and didn't create something less expensive.

 

[MD-2000]

AFAIK, they never sold the planned SR $35000 model in the USA. It was more practical to offer the SR+.

The Canadian government only recently concocted the federal EV rebate knowing the existing price-points for Teslas, so it's hard to imagine the rebate was "accidentally" configured to freeze out Tesla. Elon just screwed them right back by offering a $44,999 version that nobody should want. They did announce at the time there would never be an option to unlock any extra range, as was done at one time with the Model S. If in fact it does have a full SR+ battery pack, Tesla obviously does not want to sell any of these for cheap since I assume that would be a loss on each sale.

 

[willow_hiller]

New AFAIK, they never sold the planned SR $35000 model in the USA. It was more practical to offer the SR+.

They sold a $35,000 SR with a battery-locked 220 miles of range in the US for almost 2 years. It just got discontinued with the 2021 refresh.

 

[T3$l@mo]

So what impact if any does this have on the rebate going forward? Thoughts? Predictions?

 

[kartboy16]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1310480901135126528?s=20

Tesla's introducing a $25,000 USD model. That'll be the new mass market model that qualifies for the rebate. With how they were making it difficult to buy the SR- and now the withdrawal of the US SR model, it just seems like there's not enough margin to justify the $35k USD price point so a new $25k model makes a ton of sense...

 

[SmartElectric]

Tesla has properly gamed the system for the benefit of clients purchasing Model 3 SR+.

There will be very few that choose to purchase the base $44999 Model 3 without auto-pilot and software limited to 19 kWh of capacity.
FFS my Smart car has nearly that much battery, and I paid $19K taxes inc.

Paying mid 40's for a car with 100 km range in winter in Canada is a choice few will make, but when they make that choice, they should live with that decision and not wine to this forum or Tesla about it.

Example : In the US, there a places where you can optionally pay for basic fire services (fire station, coming to your house to put out a fire, etc). Those who do not choose to pay for this are shocked when their house is on fire, and the fire dept comes over and hoses down their neighbours house only to keep the paid up houses safe, letting the house who didn't pay for fire services burn to the ground. Same for the base Model 3, you bought it to give Tesla less money, Tesla has no reason to later offer an upgrade. If everyone didn't pay for fire services and later said, I'll pay you today now that my house is on fire, then how would the fire services stay in business?!

I would just like to hear 1st hand how well these base cars are working, what the owners think about their choice of purchase and the long term benefits (or problems) of never charging a battery above 40% state of charge (due to software lock).

 

[SmartElectric]

So what impact if any does this have on the rebate going forward? Thoughts? Predictions?

What the US base Model 3 no longer available has to do with the Canadian base Model 3 which is only available to game the rebate system?
Nothing. Business as usual in Canada. If Tesla sells a dozen a year of the base $44K Model 3, I'd be shocked.

 

[kartboy16]

Tesla has properly gamed the system for the benefit of clients purchasing Model 3 SR+.

There will be very few that choose to purchase the base $44999 Model 3 without auto-pilot and software limited to 19 kWh of capacity.
FFS my Smart car has nearly that much battery, and I paid $19K taxes inc.

Paying mid 40's for a car with 100 km range in winter in Canada is a choice few will make, but when they make that choice, they should live with that decision and not wine to this forum or Tesla about it.

Example : In the US, there a places where you can optionally pay for basic fire services (fire station, coming to your house to put out a fire, etc). Those who do not choose to pay for this are shocked when their house is on fire, and the fire dept comes over and hoses down their neighbours house only to keep the paid up houses safe, letting the house who didn't pay for fire services burn to the ground. Same for the base Model 3, you bought it to give Tesla less money, Tesla has no reason to later offer an upgrade. If everyone didn't pay for fire services and later said, I'll pay you today now that my house is on fire, then how would the fire services stay in business?!

I would just like to hear 1st hand how well these base cars are working, what the owners think about their choice of purchase and the long term benefits (or problems) of never charging a battery above 40% state of charge (due to software lock).

Dude, one requires hiring people and all the associated costs of retaining said people(salary, space costs, etc) the other requires a push of a button. They are not similar at all.

 

[kartboy16]

Dude, one requires hiring people and all the associated costs of retaining said people(salary, space costs, etc) the other requires a push of a button. They are not similar at all.

Not to mention, they have the option to upgrade the US model. Doesn’t really make sense not to offer the option; easy money.

 

[Tony_YYZ]

Why would they offer it? It was clear that this was not a model they wanted to sell yet some people bought it anyway claiming it would be “good enough”. Now here some of you are saying that Tesla should offer a battery unlock.

The $35k US Model 3 SR option is not comparable at all. That one was designed to sell normally even thought it was an off-menu option. Our gimped SR- variant was just to enable people to get the rebate on the SR+. If anyone bought the SR- anyway and are now not happy with it then really you only have yourselves to blame. Sorry to come off as unsympathetic here but you knew what you were buying.

 

[dandan]

If Tesla sells a dozen a year of the base $44K Model 3, I'd be shocked.

Quite frankly you're wrong. They sold 120+...

 

[SmartElectric]

Dude, one requires hiring people and all the associated costs of retaining said people(salary, space costs, etc) the other requires a push of a button. They are not similar at all.

/r/whoosh

If everyone wanted to avoid paying the real cost of something, then that something won't exist long.
Tesla makes 17% margin on Model 3, which is you multiple 44999 * 1.17 = 52649

Looks like Tesla would make no money selling the SR- in Canada.
Makes ZERO sense for Tesla to encourage owners to buy SR- by offering an upgrade to SR+ program.
Less than zero sense, Tesla can sell every car they can make for 17% margins, and you thing it's "not similar at all" to my example.

My example showed that people make stupid decisions (not paying for local fire protection, buying an expensive 100 km range car) thinking they can "upgrade" (pay for fire protection the day of the fire, get an SR+ for the same money after the fact).

 

[SmartElectric]

Quite frankly you're wrong. They sold 120+...

LOL!!! Thanks for correcting me. 120 cars. Well, that changes everything, 12 cars or 120 cars is such a big difference. Thanks for the update.

 

[dandan]

LOL!!! Thanks for correcting me. 120 cars. Well, that changes everything, 12 cars or 120 cars is such a big difference. Thanks for the update.

if you put it that way... your claim of the margin loss is significantly greater than what you expected.

 

[richyrich]

Other logic is "why should Joe Taxpayer give money to people buying expensive luxury cars?"

Looking at the bigger picture, I've always felt it's good to get an EV on the road instead of a gasser and these little incentives are the price we pay to encourage that, it doesn't matter if the person "needs" the money. In fact if this is someone "rich" who would otherwise have bought some V8-equipped "luxury" gas-guzzler, even better they were persuaded into an EV.

 

[duanra]

i think selling an upgrade for the range would make sense. Specially if the upgrade would make the car at a slightly higher price than the sr +.
People would buy the car thinking that if they want more range they can upgrade even at an extra cost. Tesla would make more money than selling the sr+

 

[MD-2000]

I understood from the one remark about a coming $25,000 vehicle - this would be the equivalent of a Honda Civic hatchback or Fit, not a cheaper model of the 3. (Model 2?) Smaller, lighter (less battery), less powerful engine, etc. but still a quite good car.

As I understand it, the cost of battery is the problem with EV's. A small cheap EV would by definition have less battery. At least Tesla is able to make their batteries without a lot of expensive cobalt. (I recall some article that said they were down to almost none?)

 

[EfficientWatts]

Saw this on reddit earlier. Apparently now the SR Canadian version is now available on the ordering page. Guessing that someone didn't like how the compliance version was off-menu. Interesting to see how they made it a check box and it is unchecked by default (presumably to still discourage people from buying it).