I’m not sure the Model 3 qualifies as “the first electric car for the masses”. It won’t be here until 2018 if Tesla misses its deadlines as per usual. The Chevy Bolt will be here before then as well as the Kia Soul and the existing Leaf and Fiat 500 — all at around this price point. Of course the price point is predicated on Tesla getting its own battery factory built in NV so it doesn’t need the more expensive Panasonic cells the model S and X are using.
It certainly is prettier than a Leaf or a Fiat 500e. And the Leaf won’t accelerate to 60mph in 4 seconds and doesn’t have 200+ mile range.
I just hope they make an electric motor retrofit kit for my Honda Element. I love that damn thing. I have no desire to buy another car. It’s like my Millennium Falcon ... It looks like junk but it has it where it counts :-).