Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Barebone $35,000 Features

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.

Tam

Well-Known Member
Nov 25, 2012
13,306
12,350
California
Would you please help me to prepare for what a worst barebone $35,000 Model ≡ features would be like?

1) No aluminum body?
2) No Supercharger Enabled?
3) No interior leather?
4) Smaller Tires? How small could small be?
5) No Pano-roof?
6) No LED lights?
7) No Navigation?
8) No auto-presenting/auto-door like features?
9) No motorized hatchback?
10) No Autopilot enabled?
11) Optional Homelink?
12) No AM radio?
13) Optional Roadside Assistance?
14) Smaller RWD motor?
15) Smaller main battery pack?


Any more worse things that you can think of?
 
Without going any further, I think we can safely assume that anything not standard on the $75K base model S will likewise not be standard on the Model 3. This would be the following from your list.

Would you please help me to prepare for what a worst barebone $35,000 Model ≡ features would be like?

3) No interior leather?
5) No Pano-roof?
6) No LED lights?
9) No motorized hatchback?
10) No Autopilot enabled?
 
The central console is going to be there so navigation should come with it at no cost.

Smaller than 70kWh battery, battery made by them, economy of scale, less powerful motor, less complex parts (automatic handles, hatchback, side mirrors), cheaper materials...
In my opinion is easy for them to go for $35000 and have a great car.

And in no time we will start to see electric cars cheaper than gasoline, as these are much less complex. The only problems are battery, infrastructure and research right now.
 
I would say $35K gets you the following:
1) Aluminum+Steel body (confirmed in prior exec comments)
2) ~45kWh battery
3) RWD
4) Solid black or white
5) Solid roof
6) 19" wheels - already stock them for MS, so simplifies supply chain
7) Spring suspension
8) Textile seats
9) Non-wood trim, and basic headliner
10) 17" display - again simplified supply chain and SW development
11) Navigation - they need navigation to have the trip planner otherwise they are going to have a ton of newbie EV owners running out of juice
12) SC capable
13) 48A charger

I think the major upgrades will be
- Bigger battery
- AWD
- Performance edition
- Pano roof
- Autopilot
- Sub-Zero
- Air suspension
- Bigger wheels, maybe 20", since they have those in stock too
- Leather
- Wood and CF trim options
- Premium interior with leather, alcantara, lighting, etc
- Convenience features like power liftgate, homelink, etc
- Supercharging
- 72A charger
 
The base Model 3 will not have less kWh battery pack than the Chevy Bolt. That would be a marketing disaster.

Even with superior aerodynamics you don't get to 200 miles real world range with less than 60 kWh.

In the past I thought they might be ok with 200 EPA miles and a 48-55 kWh pack but not anymore.

By the time Model 3 hits the streets I expect base Model S to have at least 80 kWh battery pack. And much more standard equipment.


The BMW 320i gets 17" cast aluminum wheels.

I expect the same for Model 3.

I don't think it adds much complexity to call supplier and ask for their 17" instead of 19".

Cheaper plus cheaper tires.

Plus Tesla can get more takers for premium priced tire packages.

Otherwise agree with emerging consensus on this thread.
 
55 or 60 kWh battery standard, upgrade battery probably 75 or 80
regular doorhandles
regular wipers that don't have sensors
regular mirrors that don't retract
seats/mirrors that don't remember people
base - vinyl lined frunk
EVSE that does only 110/120 with no L2
Base L2 does 6.6 kW or maybe low 7's
probably more base stuff

Think of it as a base Nissan Leaf with better style, better rims, bigger battery and you are on your way.
 
LED lights are kind of cheap these days, it will probably have them. I don't see Tesla stamping out steel either so aluminum is likely. AM radio will be a super premium option along with 8-track ;)

I can see them removing the power seats and going with a single zone HVAC with no heat recuperation from the drivetrain to heat the battery. No chrome accents (so 20th century).
 
The base Model 3 will not have less kWh battery pack than the Chevy Bolt. That would be a marketing disaster.

Even with superior aerodynamics you don't get to 200 miles real world range with less than 60 kWh.

In the past I thought they might be ok with 200 EPA miles and a 48-55 kWh pack but not anymore.

By the time Model 3 hits the streets I expect base Model S to have at least 80 kWh battery pack. And much more standard equipment.


The BMW 320i gets 17" cast aluminum wheels.

I expect the same for Model 3.

I don't think it adds much complexity to call supplier and ask for their 17" instead of 19".

Cheaper plus cheaper tires.

Plus Tesla can get more takers for premium priced tire packages.

Otherwise agree with emerging consensus on this thread.
Base with 80?! That's quite the prediction. That would mean the upgrade would have to be at least 90 and possibly even 100?
 
Autopilot is an interesting one. Not having autopilot will severely affect the resale value of the car as the software gets better and better. At the same time, the camera and sensor hardware will have a non-trivial impact on margins with the lower priced car. I'm guessing it will be an upgrade to get all the hardware, but I'm hoping that every car is prepared for it so the hardware can be retrofitted easily in the future.
 
Well since they need part of the autopilot sensors to have emergency breaking which is required for high safety rating, I would not be surprised if they go the same way as the Model S, included on all cars but not activated if you don't pay for it.

Tesla is positioning themselves as the leader for semi and full autonomy. Over the next couple of years they will push hard to perfect it on Model S and X so it's ready for Model 3. To this end expect the hardware to be fully included (next gen hardware I might add) and enabled via at first purchase and optional software upgrade after purchase. Autopilot is a huge deal and Model 3 will be the real catalyst to take it to the masses.
 
The base Model 3 will not have less kWh battery pack than the Chevy Bolt. That would be a marketing disaster.

Even with superior aerodynamics you don't get to 200 miles real world range with less than 60 kWh.

Fair point, although if they can hit the range number with a smaller battery (maybe not 45kWh), why not--few buyers ever check the capacity of the gas tank when they buy an ICE. I get what you are saying, but the pack is also the single most expensive part in the car, so its an obvious place to gain cost savings.
 
Would you please help me to prepare for what a worst barebone $35,000 Model ≡ features would be like?

1) No aluminum body?
2) No Supercharger Enabled?
3) No interior leather?
4) Smaller Tires? How small could small be?
5) No Pano-roof?
6) No LED lights?
7) No Navigation?
8) No auto-presenting/auto-door like features?
9) No motorized hatchback?
10) No Autopilot enabled?
11) Optional Homelink?
12) No AM radio?
13) Optional Roadside Assistance?
14) Smaller RWD motor?
15) Smaller main battery pack?


Any more worse things that you can think of?
I can't figure out how Tesla can cut down cost by half from basic S70 model, except it should be a bona ride bare bone: a body with a battery and a motor and 4 wheels, every thing else would cost extra, starting with AC. Definitely no free super charger access.
 
I can't figure out how Tesla can cut down cost by half from basic S70 model, except it should be a bona ride bare bone: a body with a battery and a motor and 4 wheels, every thing else would cost extra, starting with AC. Definitely no free super charger access.
In the earnings call Elon said that the Model S was the first car they built themselves so designed to fit.
He went on to say that the Model 3 is designed to be manufactured with the manufacturing process in mind.
Which means they are expecting that they will get quite a lot of the cost savings just by designing it correctly to simplify the build process.
Followed by scale economies etc
I would suspect that Model 3 options will be in option packs to reduce the cost of manufacturing as well.
But as others have said, there is also a good chance that several hardware option will be included for the same reason - but have software enablement as the option.
 
I know this can only be purely speculative, but at the time of launch, what will be more desirable, a current gen MS 70D with AP and whatever options you like, or a high spec M3? Only looking for opinions, nothing objective.
 
I know this can only be purely speculative, but at the time of launch, what will be more desirable, a current gen MS 70D with AP and whatever options you like, or a high spec M3? Only looking for opinions, nothing objective.

I'm normally a fan of fully specced "lower" cars than entry level "upper" cars. I think a same price Model 3 will outperform and out-feature a 70D (0-60 in 5.2, no premium interior, no autopilot, etc.).
 
I think the most fascinating conundrum for Tesla concerns SpC access, as well as it demonstrably being the most contentious topic on this forum. The sides are easy to describe:

*on the one, there is the cost of including a DC-direct charger, cost of life-of-vehicle electricity provided by Tesla, cost of buildout of the SpC network to service a Model 3-enhanced fleet.

*on the other, there is the ever-repeated goal of EV-ing the planet, with the less-announced but obvious corollary of reducing the elitist image - and reality - of the high-priced Models S&X fleet.

I don't know the answer, but I certainly hope and expect Messrs Musk & Co. to have penciled out in responsible fashion the cost-benefit analysis and annual CapEx needed to effect the "Do Include" option; to state the obvious, the highest cost there would be the needed site build-out but on the other hand, would that also raise the cost of each car by $100? $1,000? $10,000?

Now, to demonstrate what this consumer considers to be a base Model 3....I wonder how much cost and manufacturing complexity including A/C adds to a vehicle. That is an unnecessary for an Alaskan vehicle, although those living in the 'hot' plains of Fairbanks would grizzle at how it would discomfit them for about six weeks out of a year. I also am old enough to remember the jokes told about "those Floridians" who would drive about Miami summers with their windows rolled up just so their fellow drivers wouldn't know they didn't opt for that "expensive" add-on...

...'course, if y'allz moved up to Alaska to avoid the heat...well, I guess I'd have to move on over to Siberia. Or Antarctica....