Tesla Introduces Canada-only Model 3 With 150 Kilometers Of Range

Tesla Introduces Canada-only Model 3 With 150 Kilometers Of Range
Under the iZEV program, Transport Canada offers incentives worth $5,000 for EVs that retail at less than $45,000 before the discount and no more than $55,000 with options. The Model 3 qualifies for the iZEV thanks to a clever trick from Tesla that limits the Standard Range to 93 miles.

Tesla Introduces Canada-only Model 3 With 150 Kilometers Of Range

This is how Palo Alto managed to drop the price to $44,999, and since the Standard Range Plus serves as an option, this version of the Model 3 also qualifies for the federal incentives. Even though the Standard Range is available to order at Tesla stores or by telephone, we don’t expect too many people to order one given the 93-mile software limitation.

The German government troubled Tesla two years ago by removing the Model S from the list of EVs eligible for subsidies. The regulation has an upper limit of €60,000, and therefore, Tesla decided to roll out the Model 3 at €44,500 for the Standard Range Plus and €54,800 for the Long Range.

Turning our attention back to Canada, there’s no denying Tesla wants most Model 3 customers to order the Standard Range Plus. In this configuration, the electric sedan promises 240 miles (386 kilometers) on a full charge of the lithium-ion battery pack. Those who do order the 93-mile (150-kilometer) version can unlock the battery through an over-the-air update.

This scheming is nothing more than Tesla trying to level the playing field, more so if you remember how much the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Kona Electric cost. If you don’t, make that $40,698 and $44,999, respectively, excluding the $5,000 government incentives.

EV sales counted for 2.2 percent of all passenger vehicles in Canada last year, and EV sales grew by 125 percent compared to 2017. At the end of 2018, no fewer than 93,091 electric vehicles were on the road in the Great White North.

If the Model Y is more interesting to you, don’t forget that Standard Range production is scheduled to start in early 2021.

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