Elon Musk Unveils Tesla’s Motors Model 3: Gets 215 miles per charge, Goes from Zero to 60mph in under 6 seconds

Tesla has finally unveiled the highly anticipated $35,000 Model 3 car, hours after fans around the globe already began lining up at its stores – ready to order the luxury brand’s new affordable vehicle.

Elon Musk dramatically revealed a red, silver and matte black model of the electric car after a lengthy talk that covered the company’s dedication to the environment and journey to affordability.

He revealed that the Model 3 will be able to go zero to 60 miles an hour in less than six seconds, saying: ‘At Tesla, we don’t make slow cars’.

The billionaire founder noted that the car will be able to travel a distance of 215 miles per charge, at minimum, and will fit five adults comfortably.

The slick design features a roof made of one continuous pane of glass, which Musk said will give passengers amazing headroom and a ‘feeling of openness’.

It is also 20 percent smaller in stature than the Model S and will be fitted with autopilot features.

Like the Model S that came before it, Model 3 will feature front and rear trunks and boasts more cargo capacity than any gasoline car of the same external dimensions.

And Musk promises that a 7-foot surfboard will be able to fit inside.

‘It’s going to be an incredibly safe car,’ Musk said when he first presented the Model 3 at the company’s design studio in Hawthorne California on Thursday night.

‘We really believe with Tesla that safety has to come first, it’s paramount. It will be 5-star in every category’.

Musk said deliveries for the car will begin at the end of next year.

‘I do feel fairly confident it will be next year,’ Musk joked to the amped up crowd, before repeating the car’s widely-publicized $35,000 price tag.

‘I want to emphasize that even if you buy no options at all, this will still be an amazing car,’ he said.

At the end of his speech Musk revealed that the Model 3, the fourth by the brand, was already a success – with the total number of orders surpassing 115,000 in 24 hours.

‘You did it!’ members of the audience screamed in support of Musk.

Online ordering began an hour earlier then planned on Thursday amid signs of heavy demand. Musk said the company wanted to ensure there was ‘no server overload’.

In a Twitter message yesterday, Musk announced: ‘Tomorrow is Part 1 of the Model 3 unveil. Part 2, which takes things to another level, will be closer to production.’

He also posted a CNBC poll that showed 55 per cent of people would put a $1,000 deposit on Tesla Model 3, and go through with buying it.

‘Looks like we may need to increase production plans for the Model 3,’ he wrote.

The Model 3 – the company’s first mass market car – is a pitch to middle class drivers and a key component in Musk’s vision to mainstream the electric car.

‘Why are we doing this? Why does it matter?’ Musk rhetorically asked the audience as he began his speech at the unveiling.

‘It’s because it’s very important to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport,’ he said. ‘This is really important for the future of the world.’

Musk went on to note that the world has record carbon dioxide levels that continue to climb.

‘The last time there was this level of carbon concentration was 11 million years ago, that’s when primates started walking upright,’ he said to audience laughter.

‘We do not want to return to that situation.’

Musk explained that the rising levels was causing temperatures to spike as well, citing that it has already increased by two degrees and ‘is going to keep going for some time in the future’.

‘And beyond global warming,’ he continued. ‘There’s just the fact that combustion cars emit toxic gases. What we came up with the Tesla is the secret master plan.’

Musk called that plan a ‘four-part trilogy’ that began with the ‘tiny’ company trying to figure out how it could make a difference ‘with very few resources’.

The Tesla Roadster – with a base price at $100,000 – was born in 2008. The company could only produce 500 units a year, but their message was clear.

‘What really made a difference is it showed the world you could make a compelling electric car,’ Musk said.

‘What was unique was that it was the first really great electric car. Before, people thought the electric car would be slow and ugly.’

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