Tesla
Why Elon Musk is happy 63,000 people cancelled their Tesla Model 3 orders
Cars
Elon Musk compared Tesla Model 3 reservations to a hamburger line
Curtis Moldrich
@khurtizz
4 Aug 2017
The Tesla Model 3 might be in huge demand right now, but it’s also been turned down by tens of thousands of customers, too. At Tesla’s quarterly earnings call, Elon Musk revealed 63,000 people have cancelled their Tesla Model 3 reservations in the last 12 months – and weirdly, he’s not even bothered.
After revealing the figures, Musk added that the huge number of cancellations was actually nothing to worry about, and probably something of a relief for his growing EV company. And, of course, he likened it to a hamburger line.
"It's like if you're a restaurant and you're serving hamburgers, and there's like an hour-and-a-half wait for hamburger,” Musk said. “Do you really want to encourage more people to order more hamburgers?"
While it’s true the lack of demand will now make it easier for Tesla to fulfill its orders, it’s still surprising to see such a huge amount of cancellations. Some of the those cancellations are probably due to customers’ changes in financial situations and things like that, but the rest must be down to the Tesla Model 3 itself.
Ever since it was first announced, Tesla has drip fed information about its baby EV, the price of the optional extras such as Autopilot software to the lack of Supercharger support – and it’s possible these revelations haven’t gone down well with customers.
10 things you ought to know about the Tesla Model 3
Tesla is a name synonymous with electric cars, but in 2017 it’s got way more competition than before. Manufacturers such as Renault, Nissan and Chevrolet all make cheaper, more budget friendly cars than the Tesla Model S or the Model X – but now Tesla’s answer is nearly ready. Called the Model 3, Tesla’s new car is designed to be an electric EV for the masses – and it should compete with cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt.
The Tesla Model 3 has been in the pipeline for ages, and it was only last year we saw our first glimpse of the new EV. However Elon Musk described 2016’s event as Phase One of the Model 3 launch, and explained that many parts of the car weren’t yet final. So what do we know about what Elon Musk is calling the Model T of electric cars?
- This is the first Model 3
A few days ago on Twitter, Musk being tweeting pictures of the first Model 3 to be made, and it looks pretty good, to be honest. Although he posted a monochrome picture first, a later image revealed the new EV to be finished in blue or black – but the actual spec of the car is still a mystery.
As for the owner? That wasn’t actually Elon Musk – at least to begin with, anyway. In a later tweet, Elon Musk explained that Tesla board member Ira Ehrenpreis had the rights to 1st car, but he transferred them to Musk as a 46th bday present. That means Musk has the first example of the Tesla Roadster, Model X and Model 3 – but not the Model S.