The Tesla Model 3 electric car could be about to launch in Europe, but whether that means an imminent arrival on UK roads remains to be seen.
The e-car company planning to display its most affordable vehicle yet in showrooms on the continent from this week, but like many things in Europe these days, UK is absent from plans.
With its production bottlenecks largely in the rear-view mirror, it’s the clearest indication the sedan is almost ready for European roads. Tesla has started inviting customers in France, Spain, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Holland to regional showrooms to take a closer look. In the Paris showroom, the car will be on display for the next two weeks (via Electrek).
Related: Is a Tesla ‘party camper’ next?
However, we’ve seen nothing indicating the Model 3 is coming to UK showrooms yet. Worryingly, the Tesla Owners UK group says they haven’t heard anything on a potential Model 3 release date from company’s UK team.
Model 3 is in Europe (not UK) https://t.co/sq1Cu7hpz6
Reservation holders will be given priority for in-store tours. EU configurator going live soon, deliveries start in early 2019. No word on the pricing. We've not heard from the UK team when & where it will arrive in the UK.
— Tesla Owners UK (@TeslaOwnersUK) November 14, 2018
Beyond that, the company’s head of global infrastructure Drew Bennett has told AutoExpress (via Engadget) that the car will offer a special charging port designed for the CCS network of superchargers in the European market.
He said: “We’ll be continuing to invest in our network – that’s a huge part of the ownership experience. But we’ll be enabling our owners to have access to the CCS networks that are starting to grow in Europe, so the Model 3 will have a charge port for the CCS standard and we’ll also have an adaptor for Model S and X.
“All existing Tesla customers will be able to use the Supercharger network still, but these changes will allow people to venture outside the network – this is something that could really help our owners and is really exciting for us to be able to say that about the infrastructure in Europe.
“We’re all about accelerating the advent of sustainable energy and transportation and this is another way to help everybody scale.”
Are you waiting patiently for the Model 3? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
