[DrakeRuns]

Given I waited in line at a Tesla store to pay 1k for a spot in another invisible line for a Model 3, I waited around at 8pm with a lot of anticipation on what the Model 3 Part 2 announcement would be. More range specs? Trim details? Interior layout? demo of a full windshield HUD? More specificity around delivery dates?

Sigh, it was not to be. No doubt the announcement marks an important event in full vehicle automation... and their is ZERO doubt that it is an amazing technical achievement (computer processing 40x more than current? wow), but my financial brain took over and I started asking myself how much is this car is REALLY going to cost me from a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) standpoint.

I read on one website last night that while the hardware will be installed as standard, it would cost $8k to turn on? I'm starting to think that the out the door price on this thing is going to be $60-65k once you add in the things that make it a real Tesla.

And with 8 cameras and all the sensors, I wonder how much a fender bender would cost you in this car? Thereby running up insurance prices to obscene levels?

I dunno... love Tesla and all they do for a ton of reasons, just started feeling more and more like my 'gap' car might be a keeper for longer than expected.

 

[khalfyard]

Given I waited in line at a Tesla store to pay 1k for a spot in another invisible line for a Model 3, I waited around at 8pm with a lot of anticipation on what the Model 3 Part 2 announcement would be. More range specs? Trim details? Interior layout? demo of a full windshield HUD? More specificity around delivery dates?

Sigh, it was not to be. No doubt the announcement marks an important event in full vehicle automation... and their is ZERO doubt that it is an amazing technical achievement (computer processing 40x more than current? wow), but my financial brain took over and I started asking myself how much is this car is REALLY going to cost me from a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) standpoint.

I read on one website last night that while the hardware will be installed as standard, it would cost $8k to turn on? I'm starting to think that the out the door price on this thing is going to be $60-65k once you add in the things that make it a real Tesla.

And with 8 cameras and all the sensors, I wonder how much a fender bender would cost you in this car? Thereby running up insurance prices to obscene levels?

I dunno... love Tesla and all they do for a ton of reasons, just started feeling more and more like my 'gap' car might be a keeper for longer than expected.

YES to all of this. Tesla might be 'THE FUTURE' but there are a lot of bugs to work out first, at slow R&D pace. The Volt (and Bolt) are the right cars for RIGHT NOW.

 

[rhodomel]

And as usual, Tesla once again has overpriced their product, justified by gee-whiz gizmos. And because of the addition of the gee-whiz gizmos, delays as predicted!

 

[khalfyard]

This is all making the BOLT look a lot more attractive to a certain segment of the market...

 

[bro1999]

Makes me question whether anyone will ever see a true $35k (+$1,200 delivery fee) 3 land in their hands.

 

[Anonymoose]

I read on one website last night that while the hardware will be installed as standard, it would cost $8k to turn on? I'm starting to think that the out the door price on this thing is going to be $60-65k once you add in the things that make it a real Tesla.

Without being familiar with the Model 3 specifics - what would make it $8k to turn on?

 

[JY07]

Without being familiar with the Model 3 specifics - what would make it $8k to turn on?

Tesla has a habit of installing everything needed for a feature, but keeping it turned off via software restrictions unless you pony up more cash. In this case the hardware would all be in your car when you purchased it, but (going off of the prices they have listed for the model S) you'd need to pay $8k to turn it on (or $10k later on down the road if you initially said no but what it on now).

For example their 60 and 75 model s versions are the same car with the same battery. If you purchase the 60 and later on want to use that extra capacity, you'd need to pony up ~$10k

 

[SSonnentag]

Chrysler does this with their navigation systems. Everybody gets the hardware and software, but it's $595 to enable it.

 

[Tomt]

Tesla is not requiring you to buy the fully autonomous software option... Ignore it and nothing has changed price-wise...

And the Volt itself already has a slew of such sensors as well with Confidence 1 and 2...

Sigh, it was not to be. No doubt the announcement marks an important event in full vehicle automation... and their is ZERO doubt that it is an amazing technical achievement (computer processing 40x more than current? wow), but my financial brain took over and I started asking myself how much is this car is REALLY going to cost me from a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) standpoint.

 

[Dutch]

Fender bender in a Tesla? Un-Possible!

 

[Neromanceres]

And the Volt itself already has a slew of such sensors as well with Confidence 1 and 2...

My 2017 Volt LT does not have the sensors for Confidence 1 and 2. There are different bumpers and grills for the different packages.

 

[mtndrew1]

The "additional $8k" thing is a bit of misnomer.

Every Tesla coming off the line from yesterday forward is equipped with a suite of sensors and cameras capable of providing Level 5 autonomy.

Every Tesla, at no charge, uses these capabilities to provide automatic emergency braking, side collision avoidance, cross traffic avoidance, etc. All the safety stuff is included at no charge.

For an additional $5,000 the software can be unlocked to allow "Enhanced Autopilot" which will now allow highway onramp to highway offramp autonomous driving, including automatic lane changes, overtaking, and freeway transitions. This will be available December of 2016 (hopefully not in "Tesla time").

For an additional $3,000 above Enhanced Autopilot, one may unlock the ability for the car to provide Level 5 autonomy as firmware updates and regulatory bodies allow. The current game plan is for a rollout of most Level 5 features by December of 2017.

So the hardware is there no matter what you spend.

Free: Safety features
$5,000: Enhanced Autopilot
+$3,000: Level 5 Autonomy (as firmware and regulatory bodies allow)

 

[Barry]

I wonder if they will ever come out with a rental program for autonomy. Like I can have the features turned on for $200/week so I can use it on my cross country road trip. And maybe they will have free test days when you can test it out in your car before buying, like XM radio does, as a promotion.

I think it is pretty attractive to have an upgrade path in a car like that. It is rare for you to be able to add a factory option after purchase.

 

[BAZINGA]

The "additional $8k" thing is a bit of misnomer.

Every Tesla coming off the line from yesterday forward is equipped with a suite of sensors and cameras capable of providing Level 5 autonomy.

Every Tesla, at no charge, uses these capabilities to provide automatic emergency braking, side collision avoidance, cross traffic avoidance, etc. All the safety stuff is included at no charge.

For an additional $5,000 the software can be unlocked to allow "Enhanced Autopilot" which will now allow highway onramp to highway offramp autonomous driving, including automatic lane changes, overtaking, and freeway transitions. This will be available December of 2016 (hopefully not in "Tesla time").

For an additional $3,000 above Enhanced Autopilot, one may unlock the ability for the car to provide Level 5 autonomy as firmware updates and regulatory bodies allow. The current game plan is for a rollout of most Level 5 features by December of 2017.

So the hardware is there no matter what you spend.

Free: Safety features
$5,000: Enhanced Autopilot
+$3,000: Level 5 Autonomy (as firmware and regulatory bodies allow)

Thank you.

 

[Raymondjram]

This remined me of my present 2009 Chevy Equinox which has the hardware for OnStar. But the same day I bought it, the salesman tells me that OnStar doesn't have service in Puerto Rico, so he gets me a $1,000 extra discount. I wish I could use OnStar!

By the same token, my radio can get XM stations, but if I don't pay for it I can't use it, either. I checked the stations offered and I don't like any of them, so that is another unused feature.

 

[AE7HF]

Makes me question whether anyone will ever see a true $35k (+$1,200 delivery fee) 3 land in their hands.

If they do, it will be a no thrill bottom of the pack with no resale value. Telsa has just gotten greedy. $8K to turn it on? but the hardware is included.. Give me a break. I though Microsoft licensing was bad.

 

[DrakeRuns]

If they do, it will be a no thrill bottom of the pack with no resale value. Telsa has just gotten greedy. $8K to turn it on? but the hardware is included.. Give me a break. I though Microsoft licensing was bad.

10k to cut it on if you don't buy it initially with the car

 

[Qinsp]

The "Disabled Content" marketing has a major drawback.
The true base production costs of the product increases. When you are trying to stay in budget, adding content that will not be added to the price is brutal.

It also has a major advantage.
When you sell the cars on a lease, you can enable the features for "free" that were not purchased enabled, hence increasing the real value of the residual when then resold as Certified Pre-Owned.

The first item is a major roadblock to a $35k car. The second item will recoup some of the losses, but not all.

I never did have a lot of faith that Tesla can make money selling $35k, fashionable, high performance, 215 mile EV's. Now, I'm more convinced of it. I was never expecting to buy a $100 bill for $80. I figure my Model 3 will be about $50-55k. That's still a lot cheaper than a 200mi Model S 60kWh.

From a business model perspective I see the whole Disabled Content system as something that isn't going to work in the long run.
High ticket builds on Teslas have kept the Disabled model going, but you will also notice that Tesla is migrating away from it. Some of the options are now standard, and the price has climbed for options.

 

[bonaire]

Given I waited in line at a Tesla store to pay 1k for a spot in another invisible line for a Model 3, I waited around at 8pm with a lot of anticipation on what the Model 3 Part 2 announcement would be. More range specs? Trim details? Interior layout? demo of a full windshield HUD? More specificity around delivery dates?

Sigh, it was not to be. No doubt the announcement marks an important event in full vehicle automation... and their is ZERO doubt that it is an amazing technical achievement (computer processing 40x more than current? wow), but my financial brain took over and I started asking myself how much is this car is REALLY going to cost me from a TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) standpoint.

I read on one website last night that while the hardware will be installed as standard, it would cost $8k to turn on? I'm starting to think that the out the door price on this thing is going to be $60-65k once you add in the things that make it a real Tesla.

And with 8 cameras and all the sensors, I wonder how much a fender bender would cost you in this car? Thereby running up insurance prices to obscene levels?

I dunno... love Tesla and all they do for a ton of reasons, just started feeling more and more like my 'gap' car might be a keeper for longer than expected.

I don't doubt the fully loaded price will be high but they could make a stripped model in the mid $30s, but will lose money if they keep installing products that you can pay for later. I really don't want to get into my deep feelings about what "Tesla is all about" but I am losing any feeling that they are about real sustainable transportation or smart grid products. I do think that they (tesla and solar city) are definitely into trying to make the most out of markets that offer deepest government incentives and have built a network of cult-following media and citizens who somehow believe all they say. Nobody goes into business for true "altruistic" desire.

I cannot get into a product that can only be worked on my its own service department and doesn't even offer repair manuals for it. There is some swirling questions on the suspension works of the S and X now as well. All concerning liability "sustainability".

 

[bonaire]

This remined me of my present 2009 Chevy Equinox which has the hardware for OnStar. But the same day I bought it, the salesman tells me that OnStar doesn't have service in Puerto Rico, so he gets me a $1,000 extra discount. I wish I could use OnStar!

By the same token, my radio can get XM stations, but if I don't pay for it I can't use it, either. I checked the stations offered and I don't like any of them, so that is another unused feature.

Why do you want OnStar? I find it generally worthless. The minute mine runs out, will be the last day of Voltstats.net updates and that's the only value I see. Sure you can use the remote unlock feature using the Onstar service but after five years, I will have had zero lock-outs.