Looking Forward to the Model 3 Debut

[MiamiNole]

 

[tracksyde]

there's no aluminium in Model 3

From this article (Wall Street Tours the Tesla Factory—and Loves What It Sees)

Stifel and Credit Suisse both noted Tesla's new aluminum stamping press, which Credit Suisse's Galves says has 10 to 20 times the output of Tesla's older machine. The bodies of the Model S and Model X are both made of aluminum, which costs twice as much as steel but weighs less. Tesla hasn't yet disclosed the composition of the Model 3. Keeping the weight down on electric vehicles helps achieve the maximum range on the battery, but maintaining a balance between cost and performance is crucial for a mass-market plug-in car.

I would think if they upgraded their aluminum stamping output by 10-20x, the Model ≡ is probably going to have an aluminum body.. or at least parts of it will be

 

[Sp4rky]

Well certainly it won't be [nearly] all aluminum like the Model S, but I don't expect that to mean there will be no aluminum.

Given the recent "wall-street" visit to the Tesla production facility, they didn't seem to mention anything about steel presses or steel manufacturing. They might just be making the majority of the vehicle out of aluminium after all. They had mentioned that they upgraded their AL stamping presses to accommodate a very large number of vehicles. If they do go that route, maybe they've managed to bring the cost of battery production down to incredibly low levels.

I feel like even at this stage, there would have been some steel presses or some indication of steel manufacturing in the factory for their planned Model 3.

Link to article: Wall Street analysts tour Tesla factory and give their verdict

 

[MassModel3]

I feel like even at this stage, there would have been some steel presses or some indication of steel manufacturing in the factory for their planned Model 3.

Maybe, but we're still a year and a half out.

The pre-alpha cars that will be shown Thursday after next (can you believe?) can be hand-stamped aluminum or steel just to have something to show, but an aluminum pre-alpha can be used to test performance of aluminum vs. steel just by adding dummy weight to the lighter test version.

I really don't know how long it would take to install and configure a steel stamping machine, but I wouldn't think more than 3 or 4 months, which is more than enough time before production of the Model 3.

 

[vinnie97]

A first for me on a new vehicle purchase, the Prius C is free and clear at 47k miles (practically in time for me to make a reservation) after paying the note off a year early. It would have freed up a lot of money, if it weren't for the $6500+ still owed on the (inadequate) solar PV system bought in 2013.

 

[Mad Hungarian]

Since we love a good conspiracy around here...

 

[paulkva]

Given the poll at the top of this post, I think this is appropriate for today, especially if you know who's singing:

 

[S3XY]

I couldn't wait to post this one! I couldn't believe my luck when no one had posted it yet.

 

[MiamiNole]

I'd like to imagine this is how I'll look on the 31st if there's a line at the gallery here in Orlando

 

[Mad Hungarian]

I couldn't wait to post this one! I couldn't believe my luck when no one had posted it yet.

I SO hope the 3 continues this tradition with the volume settings.

 

[Mad Hungarian]

and because Tesla's mission to electrify the transportation sector is sometimes compared to Apollo (not to mention the big 10, 9, 8 countdown starts tomorrow)...

 

[SageBrush]

Given the poll at the top of this post, I think this is appropriate for today, especially if you know who's singing:

Google helped me -- the Pointer sisters.

I'm still not getting it. Clue ?

Addendum: Ahh ... wait.
Is " I'm so excited and I just can't hide it" a lyric of theirs ?

 

[Model 3]

I couldn't wait to post this one! I couldn't believe my luck when no one had posted it yet.

And I'm surprised that no one have posted this:

 

[paulkva]

Google helped me -- the Pointer sisters.

I'm still not getting it. Clue ?

Addendum: Ahh ... wait.
Is " I'm so excited and I just can't hide it" a lyric of theirs ?

Not just a lyric. Wikipedia says "signature song." When I saw the poll at the top of this post it's the first thing I thought of.

I'm So Excited - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And then when I started seeing countdown images I immediately thought of Sesame Street and the number 12 pinball sequence. I probably watched that song as a kid when it originally aired. And now you probably know about how old I am.

 

[Red Sage]

And then when I started seeing countdown images I immediately thought of Sesame Street and the number 12 pinball sequence. I probably watched that song as a kid when it originally aired. And now you probably know about how old I am.

Well, I'm probably a little older than you, then... A younger Cousin of mine had asked me some time ago to find that song for him. I vaguely knew what he was talking about, but it had been decades, easily back to the early 1980s, since I had seen the video. Thanks for finding it, as for some reason we thought it had been from The Electric Company, or ZOOM, instead of Sesame Street. Unfortunately, my Cousin died this past December, but I'll keep it among my favorites on YouTube for posterity.

 

[vortexz]

Hurray, 10 days left :

Tesla Model 3 Countdown to official Reveal in 31 march

 

[Mad Hungarian]

 

[MassModel3]

I SO hope the 3 continues this tradition with the volume settings.

The fan goes to 11, too. And I'm 100% positive that this will continue for the Model 3.

 

[SageBrush]

^^ I'm 110% positive

 

[physicsfita]

In recognition of all of the work bigbear has done for this thread, I would like to request that bigbear start off counting off each of the remaining days. The rest of us could jump in afterwards.