2 ms·
130 mph top speed for the base model. Weight: 3549 lb. 220 mile range. The design mission of this car is very conservative: freeway travel at 70-80 mph, for
by blendo 9y ago
130 mph top speed for the base model.
Weight: 3549 lb.
220 mile range.
The design mission of this car is very conservative: freeway travel at 70-80 mph, for several hours, with 4 people and their luggage. The payload (I'll guess 900lb) is similar to what you'd need in a Toyota or Mercedes.
However, this is lousy for urban vehicles/pedestrians/congestion. For example, in San Francisco, I need a 50 mph vehicle that can carry 2 people. And at 50 mph, I can drive to Palo Alto in less than an hour.
Could Tesla give me a 1000lb/50mph vehicle? I bet SpaceX could.
At least Motor Trend did really like the Model 3's handling: http://www.motortrend.com/cars/tesla/model-3/2018/exclusive-tesla-model-3-first-drive-review/ http://www.motortrend.com/cars/tesla/model-3/2018/exclusive-...
- sliken 9y agoI'm sure spaceX could, or telsa, or any other car manufacturer. Problem is car owners have ever higher standards. They want stereos that are better than their home system (100s of watts and a dozen speakers), elaborate dual zone heating cooling systems, phone chargers, dozens or so airbags, power seats, power windows, power outlets, usb ports, tv's for entertaining the kids, etc. Motor trend or similar magazine ran a 50 year anniversary issue including the car weight of every car they reviewed in the last 50 years. The average went from under 2000 to almost 4000. I suspect the toughest design criteria is letting a human survive a crash with a 6000 pound SUV. Sadly the low cost of oil has resulted in the huge SUVs being still quite popular. If you want an under 1000 pounds vehicle that can carry 2 people get an electric motorcycle.