Today’s new Tesla Model 3 has, erm, 93 miles of range

Keeping up with exactly which versions of Tesla are on sale at any given moment can be a tricky job, given Tesla likes to introduce and kill off certain models more frequently than Game of Thrones characters.

Even so, a new version of the Model 3 destined for Canada caught our eye. Because officially, it has about the same amount of battery range as a ten-year old Nissan Leaf.

Please feel free to check the date. No, it’s not April 1st.

In a blog post on Tesla’s Canadian website, the entry-level Tesla Model 3 is described thusly:

“2019 Model 3 Standard Range

Range: 150km

Qualifying OEM MSRP* before delivery centre fees and EV savings: $44,999”

The price is the important bit here. See how it’s exactly ONE measly dollar under $45,000? Well spotted.

In Canada, electric cars with a base price less than $45,000 qualify for a $5,000 government grant, to encourage folks to swap into new electric models. So, this Model 3 Standard Range ducks under the cost barrier, and will cost less than $40k to buy new.

Not that anyone will buy it, of course – real world range is likely to be under ninety miles, and despite how good the Supercharger network is, that’s a big psychological barrier for people dropping sizeable cheques on family saloons.

No, the clever bit is that as long as the base model in the family comes in at under $45k, every version of that same car gets the rebate. So, the next Model 3 in the line-up – the Standard Range Plus with a much meatier 240-mile range and a price of $53,700 – still qualifies for a discount. All because of its pointless twin.

Clever, or just plain bonkers? Either way, be quick. It’ll probably be taken off sale by the time you’re done reading this sentence.