20,000 electric cars per month to be rolled out by Tesla in December?

New York: Electric car maker Tesla says its keenly awaited Model 3 car for the masses will go on sale on Friday.

CEO Elon Musk made the announcement Monday on Twitter.

The car is to start around $35,000 (Dh128,555) and with a $7,500 federal electric car tax credit, could cost $27,500.

Tesla is set to launch operations in the UAE this summer.

Tesla says the five-seat car will be able to go 215 miles (346 km) on a single charge and will be sporty, accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.

Musk had said that production was on track to start in July, but Tesla has often faced delays in getting vehicles to market.

The Palo Alto, California-based company aims to make 5,000 Model 3 sedans per week by the end of this year and 10,000 per week in 2018.

Tesla hasn’t said how many people have put down $1,000 refundable deposits for the Model 3, but Musk has said people who put down a deposit now won’t get a car until the end of 2018, suggesting it could be close to 500,000.

Whether Tesla can meet its production goals is an open question. Its last new vehicle, the Model X SUV, was delayed nearly 18 months due to the "falcon wing" door glitches.

Model 3 passed all regulatory requirements for production two weeks ahead of schedule. Expecting to complete SN1 on Friday

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017

Musk says the Model 3 is much simpler to make, but 14-year-old Tesla has no experience producing and selling vehicles in high volumes. Tesla made just 84,000 cars last year.

Looks like we can reach 20,000 Model 3 cars per month in Dec

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017

Bigger rivals like General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota routinely sell around 10 million vehicles per year.

Even if the Model 3 is on time, servicing all those vehicles will still be a challenge. Model S and Model X owners are already worried about having to share Tesla’s company-owned charging stations with an influx of new cars.

Handover party for first 30 customer Model 3's on the 28th! Production grows exponentially, so Aug should be 100 cars and Sept above 1500.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017

And while Tesla is promising to increase its network of stores and service centers by 30 per cent this year, it began 2017 with just 250 service centres worldwide. That leaves many potential owners miles from a service centre.

Musk has said a new fleet of mobile service trucks will be deployed to help customers who are far from service centers.

Tesla also plans to double its global high-speed charging points to 10,000 by the end of this year and increase them by another 50 per cent-100 per cent in 2018.

Wanted to say thanks to all that own or ordered a Tesla. It matters to us that you took a risk on a new car company. We won't forget. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017

Until recently, Tesla owned the market for fully-electric vehicles that can go 200 miles (324 kilometres) or more on a charge. But that’s changing.

Competitors

GM beat Tesla to the mass market with the Chevrolet Bolt, a $36,000 car that goes 238 miles (about 383 kilometres) on a full charge.

Audi plans to introduce an electric SUV with 300 miles (486 kilometres) of range next year and Ford promises to have one by 2020.

Volkswagen plans more than 30 electric vehicle models by 2025.

Automotive competitors like Mercedes and Volvo — not to mention tech companies like Google, Apple and Uber — can also match Tesla’s efforts to develop self-driving vehicles.

And they have deeper pockets.

Tesla has had only two profitable quarters in its seven years as a public company.