In a distant post, I critiqued the Tesla Model X as a vehicle that may be smart in its design, but elitist in its price. But Elon Musk is moving in on the affordability EV market, and thus poised more so than ever to completely disrupt, and even destroy, the current automobile industry. The result of this new edition to the Tesla line will be an order of magnitude more EVs hitting the market, not unlike the launch of the first iPhone, or the cheaper iPhone 5c, that saw millions of consumers putting Apple's products to their ears.
This past week, the visionary CEO announced the next wave of his vision to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport with the most affordable Tesla to date: the Model 3, priced at $35,000 US with a $1000 deposit. It boasts the ability to run 346 kilometres (215 miles) on a single charge, the efficiency of which will likely increase before its release in 2017. Apparently there are several ways to charge the Tesla, from a simple at-home extension cord plug-in to having a level 2 charger in your home to actual charging stations; and the price to charge is typically free at most charging stations across Ontario, although an hour charge may only get you about 80kms of driving.
The vehicle has much of the same features as the more luxurious older sibling, including the really cool 'autopilot' feature that will be standard on all vehicles. According to FastCompany, the biggest competitor to the Model 3 is the Chevy Bolt--I'd take a Tesla hands down.
But Tesla really has no choice--the EV market is being charged up by the likes of Chevy, Google, and even Apple who's car is the stuff of intrigue and rumour.
As maintained in previous posts, EV technology is going to radically change transportation, especially when the vehicles, as in Tesla's and Google's case, are equipped with self-driving capacity. The pressure to make these technologies ubiquitous will drive prices down, not to mention all the political pressure around fossil fuels. The vehicles, however, will wipe out driving as we know it, driving up insurance prices for human driving, slashing jobs in the transportation sector, and marginalizing human autonomy.
While I continue to really like Tesla, and admire Elon Musk's ingenuity and brilliance, I remain concerned about what self-driving technology will do to the future of driving as a (former) symbol of human freedom. Musk is to EVs as Steve Jobs was to the iPhone--he is the face of the future of transportation, and thus by launching an affordable EV he's further disrupting the current system that is rapidly on its way to obsolescence.
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