Image: Tesla
Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD is now available to order in the US. The car is $10,000 cheaper than before and eligible for a $3,750 tax credit.
The Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD variant is finally back on the online configurator for US orders after an eight-month hiatus. The estimated delivery date for the vehicle is June 2023. Previously, the company stopped taking orders for it be cause the waitlist was too long. Elon Musk promised the car would be available for order again after some time, and he kept his promise.
The newly available for order Model 3 LR has some changes compared to the earlier version. Its range is now 325+ miles, down from the previous 358 miles. This may indicate the vehicle is equipped with a different battery pack. It appears to be using non-US-made batteries.
This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that Model 3 LR is eligible for only $3,750 in tax credits. This is possible when the batteries in an electric vehicle are not made in North America. It is likely that it is equipped with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. LFP chemistry is cheaper and less energy-intensive, so it has less power and less range than a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) package of the same capacity. So this may explain the shorter range of the new Model 3 LR. The Tesla Model 3 RWD with LFP batteries supplied by CATL is also eligible for a $3,750 subsidy.
The new Model 3 LR now appears on the online configurator with a starting price of $47,240. That is $10,000 less than what it cost the last time the car was available for order. With tax credits, Model 3 LR starts at $43,490.
It is worth noting that Model 3 Performance, with a range of 315 miles, is available starting at $53,240. However, with a $7,500 tax credit, it is only $45,740. So the car costs just $2,250 more than the Long Range version while having higher performance and a range of just 10 miles less. Obviously, consumers will have something to think about before choosing one of them.
© 2023, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts; follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
