Elon Musk and Tesla will unveil their first mass-market electric vehicle in California on Thursday -- but don't expect everything to be revealed. At least, not at once.
The co-founder of PayPal and head of SpaceX said on Twitter that the Tesla Model 3 event will only form "part one" of a two-part launch, ahead of the car going on sale in limited numbers in late 2017.
The Model 3 is seen as a critical, perhaps defining product for Tesla, who have won critical praise and some measure of small-scale sales success for their initial Roadster, the Model S luxury saloon and the Model X SUV, but have not delivered a car affordable for the majority of consumers. Currently Tesla loses money, and sells around 50,000 cars per year.
To turn Tesla into a major player requires more than a new, lower-cost design, however. It also needs Tesla to reconfigure its already enormous factory in Fremont, California, and complete its even larger Gigafactory battery plant currently under construction in Sparks, Nevada. That factory is projected -- indeed required, if Tesla's sales target of 500,000 cars per year is to be met -- to produce by 2020 as many lithium-ion batteries in a year as the entire planet Earth managed in 2013.
Tesla is also facing big tasks to extend its network of Supercharger stations, and convince governments in the UK and US states to invest in electric vehicles.
Even as those titanic tasks remain incomplete, Musk will take to the stage in LA to unveil the Model 3, he said on Twitter. "Tomorrow is Part 1 of the Model 3 unveil. Part 2, which takes things to another level, will be closer to production," he said. "You will see the car very clearly, but some important elements will be added and some will evolve."
There have so far been relatively few leaks of any details surrounding the design of the Model 3, but it is expected to be a four-door sedan, with a range of around 480km. If reports are to be believed, customers will be able to drive the vehicle at the event. There may even be two vehicles announced; a so-called 'Model Y' crossover variant of the Model 3, combined with the Model X, is a possibility along with the Model 3 itself.
Despite the uncertainty around the Model 3, it's already off to a good start. The Guardian reports that one Australian Tesla fan has already ordered his Model 3, expected to cost $45,000 AUS (£24,000) after waiting outside a dealership in Sydney. He paid $1,500 for the privilege.
The Model 3 event starts at 4.30 am UK time, but can be watched online at Tesla's website. Full details will be online at WIRED on Friday.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
