One keen man is already lining up to buy the Tesla Model 3 in Australia
The basic specs and price of Tesla's budget electric vehicle offering, the Model 3, have yet to be released, but that hasn't stopped one eager man from lining up for the chance to put his name down to buy one.
Australian man Andreas Stephens claimed first place in line at Sydney's St. Leonard's Tesla dealership around 7 a.m. AEDT Tuesday morning, he told Mashable Australia. That's more than 48 hours before the reservation list opens Thursday. "I wanted to make sure that [I was] number one," Stephens explained.
He has definitely succeeded, with no other Tesla fans in sight.
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Last week, Tesla announced hopeful Model 3 owners could make a reservation for the car at Tesla outlets on Mar. 31. Thanks to the international date line, this means Australians will be the first globally to have the opportunity to sign up for the electric car. Stephens thought this was an opportunity too good to miss.
He could have stayed warm and dry by ordering the car online, with preorders opening online globally at 2:30 p.m. AEDT on April 1 (8.30 p.m. PT on Mar. 31), but decided he wanted to enjoy the moment in person.
Stephens said Tesla was surprised to see him -- they hadn't even put out the red ribbon for the queue yet. "I think they were expecting people tomorrow rather than today," he said.
Stephens, who isn't currently working but has previously been employed in solar energy and finance, became interested in Telsa after his son couldn't stop talking about the company's CEO, Elon Musk.
"He started talking about Elon Musk, and then I started reading up about him and Tesla," he said. "I'd always hoped one day I could drive an electric car. I just didn't think the technology was there yet, but then I became more informed, I realised we were probably pretty close ... to broad, consumer market electric cars."
Not knowing the Model 3's price isn't a problem for him. "They said they'd try to make it around US$30,000, so hopefully the Aussie dollar doesn't change too much," he said. "It will be mid-$40,000, and then making it right-hand drive might add a bit of cost to it, so I'm thinking A$60-70,000."
If he successfully buys one, it will definitely be a change in pace: right now, he drives a 22-year-old Toyota Corolla.
Stephens doesn't even call himself a car person. "I'm actually not a car enthusiast as such. I'm not too hung up on looks -- that's why I'm happy to drive an old car like a Toyota Corolla that got me from A to B," he said. "I think the excitement comes from the technology and what [the Model 3] represents. Looking at the Model S options, I'm sure the Model 3 will be satisfactory."
To pass the time, Stephens had the book Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance on hand, as well as snacks and a sleeping bag. Despite the drizzly day, he didn't bring a tent. "We came on Sunday, did our research and saw it's undercover," he laughed.
Tesla's staff have been treating him well, though. They even took him for a drive. "It was the first time I'd been in a Model S," he said.
Unfortunately, Stephen's significant efforts will not make him first in the world to receive a Model 3. Reservation lists are managed regionally, and Tesla clarified on its blog that Model 3 delivery will begin on the U.S. West Coast before the rest of the U.S., Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
He may not even end up being first on the list in Australia. Existing Model S owners are prioritised, a Tesla spokesperson confirmed to Mashable Australia. Stephens said he was aware of the caveats before he arrived, but wasn't concerned. "I'm quite excited to be part of history in the making, hopefully," he said.
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Ariel Bogle was an associate editor with Mashable in Australia covering technology. Previously, Ariel was associate editor at Future Tense in Washington DC, an editorial initiative between Slate and New America.
