7 people who are perfectly happy to wait 2 years for their Tesla Model 3
By Saturday, Tesla Motors had secured over 276,000 pre-orders for its new mass-market Model 3.
For as shocking — and truly unprecedented — a figure as that is, perhaps even more surprising was the fact that some 115,000 of those orders were placed before the car had even been unveiled.
SEE ALSO: Tesla Model 3 vs. Chevrolet Bolt: Battle of the long-range EVs
I am sure, like many of you, this left us at Mashable scratching our heads.
Who, we wondered, are these people that would plunk down $1,000 (albeit fully refundable) on a car they hadn't driven, knew little about, and wouldn't be able to actually buy in full for approximately two years?
We took to Twitter and chatted with a few people who pre-ordered the Model 3. Each customer came at the car in a different way and was attracted to it — and the Tesla brand — for their own reasons. However, there was a common thread: All described themselves as an "early adopter." And, surprising as it may be, none had a problem waiting two years for the car.
The car enthusiast
Image: Matt Patenaude
David McGavern wasn't just one of the 115,000 that pre-ordered the Model 3 before ever seeing it — he also did so in person.
"Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn't it?" McGavern laughed, recounting the story of queuing up for the Model 3 at the Mountain View, California Tesla store — sight unseen.
"It was almost a no-brainer," he said. "I've been waiting for a 200-mile-range $30,000 EV for a while now."
McGavern has a ton of confidence in Tesla. As a self-proclaimed "car geek," he realizes Chevrolet (in reference to the Bolt EV) has the production prowess that he admits Tesla might lack. That said, he was willing to look past that because the Model 3 spoke to him.
As a 28-year-old iOS app designer and engineer, McGavern really isn't interested in anything else. Simply: He thinks Tesla can do long-range EV better than anyone else.
The PR guy
Image: ed zitron
British-born Ed Zitron works in public relations in the Bay Area. At only 29 years old, he's already on his second Model S (he cancelled his Model X order). Though he loves his sedan (especially its semi-autonomous Autopilot system), he hasn't drank every drop of the Tesla Kool-Aid.
Sure, Zitron is in line for a Model 3. But he believes fate of the car falls on the successful proliferation of the Supercharger network, which, as a current Tesla owner, he's found already overcrowded.
The environmentalist
Image: Whetherly Cundif
Whetherly Cundiff, 30, lives in Phoenix, Arizona and has become increasingly aware of the presence of pollution in her area. Cundiff sees driving emission-free Model 3 as her way to counteract that.
However, that wasn't the only factor that motivated her. She was indoctrinated into the good graces of the Tesla brand by her parents, who bought the Model S early on.
Cundiff will use the long wait for her Model 3 to save up for the purchase of the car itself. And she's comfortable doing that because she feels Tesla cars have resale values that virtually guarantee her investment.
Perhaps most importantly, Cundiff feels driving a Tesla is her ticket to entry of, as she put it, "a community of conscientious auto enthusiasts."
The futurist
Image: Neeraj periwal
Neeraj Periwal watched the Model 3 reveal while eating dinner with his family. He had contemplated putting the pre-order in before dinner, but decided to wait.
When the car was revealed and Tesla CEO Elon Musk admitted more than 115,000 people had already put down deposits, Periwal ran to his computer, whipped out his credit card and pre-ordered his own Model 3.
SEE ALSO: Elon Musk promises a spaceship interior for Tesla Model 3
Right now, the 24-year-old Bay Area marketing manager drives a Honda Accord. He admits it could likely run for another 15 years. Rather than wait for his car's time to come, he opted to order the Model 3. That's because he sees it as a car that also allows him to both step into the luxury market and the future.
The race-car driver
Image: leilani.green
Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, 42-year-old Leilani Munter is a current Tesla Model S owner. Although she's a race-car driver, Munter says the Model S is the best car she's ever owned.
Beyond its driving dynamics, Munter is a Tesla devotee because, for her, the cars give her a way to harness green energy. In fact, her Model S is charged by the solar panels on the roof of her house.
No matter how long it takes to receive her Model 3, Munter knows it'll be worth the wait. That's because she believes electrification is "an essential step in the evolution of humans to live in a way that does not destroy the world around us."
The techie
Image: anthony thompson
Apart from the design and brand cache, what most attracted 32-year-old IT engineer and photographer Anthony Thompson to the Model 3 was the car's tech. Specifically, Thompson believes the car will have the ability to tie into his Jefferson, Missouri home's Z-Wave automation systems. Unlike most everyone else on this list, Thompson will consider the Chevy Bolt EV before he signs on the dotted line for the full price of the Model 3. Seth Meranda, 32, might be one of the most daring Model 3 awaitees that we spoke to. That's because he lives outside Lincoln, Nebraska — eight hours away from the nearest Tesla store. Moreover, he's in a state in which there are a grand total of zero superchargers. These factors definitely gave Meranda pause... but not much. He still put in his Model 3 pre-order before the car was unveiled. Like McGavern, Meranda laughs at the prospect of waiting two years for the car. Although he has a long wait ahead of him, he's already making preparations for the car; he called an electrician on Monday to talk about retrofitting his house for a fast charger. Interest in the Model 3 has been unprecedented. Turns out, the wait will be, too. Accordingly, we'll be circling back with these awaitees as the months (and years) tick by.
The Midwestern trailblazer
