Tesla Model 3: Goodbye 100kWh Battery!

There is some good news coming in from Palo Alto, California, as Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla, has confirmed on social media that the new age electric vehicle making company will finally come to India this summer. It is also uncertain at this time as to how the company plans to set up its network of superchargers across the country in such a short span of time.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Musk at the Tesla vehicle factory during his USA visit in September, 2015, as part of the former’s ambitious renewable energy plans. Over there, Modi met with Musk and discussed the issue of renewable energy. “Doing otherwise would be wrong”, Musk tweeted. Musk says the budget-friendly consumer vehicle is the company’s overwhelming priority.

Although that was the first official announcement, Tesla has been hinting for quite some time that it was interested in building a semi-truck. The answer is that Tesla wanted to enter the market earlier, but, for reasons unknown, has yet to do so.

During its third-quarter earnings update, Tesla said that Tesla Model 3 is planned for deliveries in the second half of 2017.

Let’s hope the hundreds of thousands of people waiting for a Model 3 still like it, and more importantly, that Tesla can get it to them without too many setbacks. The only other electric cars sold in India are the Mahindra e2o and the e-Verito. The country has a pricey import duty on vehicles from other countries. Until the cost comes down to a break-even point – where no government support is needed to create demand for EVs – I think Indian manufacturers and startups must target the luxury & sports segment, where customers are willing to pay a premium. Several Indian businessmen, reportedly pr-ordered the vehicle.

Gadkari also offered to promote joint ventures between Tesla and Indian automobile firms to produce pollution-free road transport in India, the report adds. As the Model S and Model X have prices beginning at $70,000, the Model 3 would be much more generally affordable.

Or Tesla could wait for its cheaper mass-market electric auto, the Model 3, before entering into the India market.