THE FUTURE

Unseen Tesla Model 3 Gets 115K Preorders

Before “affordable” electric car was even unveiled.

Before Tesla had even unveiled its new electric wonder sedan, the Model 3, on Thursday, the company had already amassed $130 million from preorder deposits for the vehicle. The 115,000 preorders were garnered in a 24-hour period. “This is kind of crazy,” Elon Musk said when he announced the number at a launch event late Thursday. The Model 3 could finally bring electric vehicles to the masses—at a cost of $35,000 each, Musk said. The eccentric chief executive called it “the final step in the master plan, which is a mass market, affordable car.” The Model 3, which will become available in late 2017, is reported to travel at least 215 miles on a single charge and accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in six seconds.