You may not have noticed it, but a minor earthquake in Irish car sales took place this past weekend; the first Irish customer deliveries of Tesla's much-anticipated Model 3 took place.
First Irish Model 3 deliveries
With 325,000 global orders for the Tesla Model 3 before it even went officially on sale, it's fair to say that this car is a smash sales hit before it even got into showrooms. Now, the first Irish customers have theirs; two of the first were John Burke, managing director and owner of Burke's Hardware & DIY, who lives in Wicklow Town. A self-confessed petrol head, motor racing enthusiast who has made the shift to electric and Peter Harte, original Roadster owner who has added a Model 3 to his EV family.
Prices start from €48,900
Tesla says that the 3 is "the world's first mass-market electric vehicle" (although with a €48k list price, that's an interesting definition of mass-market) and has been designed with reliability in mind. Tesla points out that its battery and motor designs have now racked up some 16-billion kilometres of driving across all models.
You can recharge from Tesla's 'Supercharger' network, although unlike Model X and Model S customers, you'll have to pay to use one. There are also 'Destination' chargers at some hotels and other tourist points around the country, and the Model 3 can also be charged using a CCS plug (that's the big, double-decker one) at other public charging points. The Model 3 has a one-charge range of 409km for the Standard Range Plus model; 530km for the Performance model; and 560km for the Long Range model.
The Model 3 Standard Range Plus starts from €48,900, Model 3 Long Range from €57,990 and Model 3 Performance from €61,990. Model 3 has five colour options with Pearl White Multi-Coat included as standard. Solid Black is available at €800 with metallic colours, Midnight Silver and Deep Blue, available for €1,100 and Red Multi-Coat Red is available at €2,200.
Model 3 comes as standard with all black premium 'vegan' leather interior or €1,050 for with the white and black premium 'vegan' interior option. Tesla's occasionally controversial Autopilot automated driving system is also included as standard, which: "Under active driver supervision, enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically for other vehicles and pedestrians within its lane."
'Track' function for Performance models
In safety terms, there are eight cameras providing surround-view of the car when manoeuvring at low speeds, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and forward facing radar. Tesla says that the Model 3 has been the highest points score ever in the Euro NCAP 'Safety Assist' category, which measures how the car helps you to avoid having a crash.
Oh, and it's fast too - a Model 3 Performance can sprint to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds, and has a top speed of 261km/h.
There's also a 'Track' function in the electronics for Performance versions, along with a carbon fibre spoiler, 20-inch performance wheels, and aluminium alloy pedals. All Model 3s come with a four-year, 80,000km warranty for the car, and an eight-year warranty for the battery, with an allowance of 160,000km for the standard model, and 192,000km for the Long Range and Performance models.