Tesla’s electric cars aren’t exactly cheap, you can spend north of $100,000 on one right now, which means that it’s out of the reach of most average consumers. The company is going to fix this with the Model 3, an all electric car that is going to cost around $35,000, and according to a new report it may be more aerodynamic than the current flagship Tesla car.
Citing sources close to the design process the report claims that Elon Musk is pushing engineers at Tesla to make the Model 3 as slippery as it can possibly be, meaning that the car slips through the air with the least amount of resistance. This reduces drag which directly contributes to performance and range, the latter being more crucial for an all electric car.
Tesla Model S has a drag coefficient of 0.24 which is similar to that of a Mercedes-Benz S Class or C Class. Simply put, it’s up there with the market leaders, but that’s not enough for Musk it seems. The Tesla CEO has reportedly told engineers to shoot for a drag coefficient of less than 0.20, in the past manufacturers have been able to achieve this coefficient but by opting for outlandish designs that have been limited to concepts only.
Since the company has not yet revealed what the Model 3 will look like this report only increases at least my interest in the actual design of the vehicle, it will be very interesting to see how Tesla is able to achieve a drag coefficient of under 0.20 while making the Model 3 look like a relatively conventional saloon car.
Model 3 is on track for a March 2016 unveil.
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