Tesla Model 3: The First Mass Market Long-Range Electric Vehicle & Autonomous Driving Feature

Apr 03, 2017 10:12 AM EDT | Andrew Davis

Tesla Model 3 has been hitting the market like a storm and many are excited to get the chance to own one. In fact, Tesla will not solely be known for its Model X but for its Model 3 that the company not only intends to mass market as the very first affordable long-range vehicle but also equipped with full autonomous driving sensors and hardware.

Being one of the first long-range and affordable EV in the market and years ahead when it comes to mass-market autonomous car will allow Tesla to eat up most of the market share, even beating the likes of BMW and GM. But it seems its long-range capability is what attracted the first 400,000 people who reserved their Tesla Model 3.

Although all Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles will be equipped with the full autonomous driving feature, it doesn't mean that these vehicles will be self-driving. In fact, like all newly built Model S and Model X that also pack the same features to be in the Model 3, owners still need to buy additional unlocked assist or autonomous feature options. Yes, additional payments do apply. Bet you thought things would be that easily affordable.

Tesla has maintained that both autonomous hardware and features will be priced the same for both the higher models and the Model 3. This is to avoid buyers thinking that higher models are "safer" as this can turn to "not-so-safe."

For $6000, buyers can get the Enhanced Autopilot which is the current Autopilot upgrade for the Models X and S. Tesla's sensor suite of 8 cameras, GPS, 360 ultrasonics, and radar and OTA software upgrades and updates and enables 4 onboard cameras.

Now, the company needs to develop with Tesla Vision a better brain and a better decision-making process for the EV especially when it comes to data processing received from the earlier-mentioned sensors.

Now, if buyers want the full self-driving option, they can just add another $4000. Amazing, right? Overall, this would put you up an additional $10,000 on top of the Tesla Model 3 price. But only when regulatory approval and software validation are granted can the self-driving features be fully usable.

With a starting price of $35,000, the Tesla Model 3 looks really promising with an additional $10,000 for its autonomous driving feature. It is not half as bad as the electric vehicles with starting prices from $68,000. So, are you willing to wait for the Model 3 and all its soon-to-be-unveiled features?

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