Many things about the Tesla Model 3 are unique and that extends to an eye-catching set of wheels the electric sedan can be specified with.
Leading up to the car’s global premiere last month, a number of prototypes were seen with wheels almost fully enclosed. They don’t look pretty. However, as we’ve just come to learn, they are about function, not form.
During Monterey Car Week, a member of the Tesla Motors Club stumbled upon a Model 3 at a supercharger and as it turns out, it was owned by the automaker’s vice president of engineering and he revealed something interesting about the so-called aero wheels.
According to the VP, they measure 18-inch and can improve range by approximately 10 per cent, a respectable figure when you consider how much of a minor change it may seem to be.
At the Model 3’s July launch, the vast majority of the 30 examples handled over to Tesla employees were fitted with the much more attractive spoked-wheels, indicating that most owner are willing to sacrifice a couple dozen miles of range for a prettier design.
Now that we know about the impacts of the aero wheels, it seems probable that Tesla’s range figures for the sedan are quoted for those fitted with them. If that’s the case, the majority of Model S owners perhaps shouldn’t expect to achieve the 220 miles quoted for the entry-level model and the 310 miles of the Model 3 Long Range.
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