In just two weeks, Tesla will start delivery of the Model 3, its long-awaited $35,000 sedan.
After handing over the first 30 sets of keys, Elon Musk will hustle back to the factory, where he hopes to build 20,000 more of the “affordable” electric cars by the end of 2017. Then production really accelerates: Musk has pledged to build 500,000 cars in 2018, more than double the total number of vehicles that Tesla has sold, to date.
Even if Tesla can deliver all those cars, cashing checks is but a tiny part of building an automotive business.
Perhaps the bigger challenge for the Silicon Valley outfit is building the infrastructure that will keep its cars charged, and fix them when they break. Giant touchscreens and ludicrous acceleration may attract buyers, but easy ownership will make them come back for more.
Tesla has struggled here: Model S and X owners have already voiced concerns about struggling to get service appointments, waiting months for repairs after crashing, and queueing for supercharger spots at busy times. That’s why the automaker announced this week it will triple its service capacity, and has plans to double the size of its Supercharger network.
Read more of the original article at Wired.