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When Tesla officially reveals the new Model 3 on March 31, they won’t just be showing off the car that could make or break their company—they’ll also be opening the order books for the car, enabling people to put down a deposit that will guarantee them a place in line. So we probably shouldn’t be surprised to hear that lines have already begun forming at Tesla showrooms around the world.
According to EV-interest website electrek.com, aspiring Model 3 owners have been spotted outside dealerships in locations as far-flung as Montreal, Vancouver, Boston, Melbourne, and Sydney, Australia. Many wanna-be buyers in colder climates have brought tents. Quebecker Ian Pavelko even outfitted his temporary structure with Tesla stickers, just so everyone would know he wasn’t lining up super-early for Captain America: Civil War.
But Pavelko can’t hold a candle to Aussie Andres Stephens, who’ll have slept in front of the Sydney dealership for two nights before reservations open. Here’s the crazy thing about Stephens: Since he doesn’t already own a Model S, he’ll still be leapfrogged by all the current Tesla owners who want to lay down an order—and he doesn’t care. He’s still willing to sit and wait for days, just to be as far ahead in line as he can get. That’s the sort of fanatical devotion usually reserved for Trekkers and Game of Thrones nuts.
It’s also possible to reserve a Model 3 online using Tesla’s website, but that list doesn’t open up until the car actually debuts at 8:30 pm PDT on the 31. Pop a squat in front of one of Tesla’s stores, though, and you can place an order as soon as that showroom opens on Thursday. Thanks to the wonders of the International Date Line, that means Stephens and other eastern Aussies can mosey in and reserve their Model 3s more than 30 hours before the online order form opens up.
No matter how early they queue up, each and every one of these Tesla fanatics will need to slap down a refundable deposit in the general range of $1,000 USD, depending on the nuances of their local currency. And every one of them will still be waiting until 2017 at the earliest to park a Model 3 in their driveway.
