Tesla's $35,000 car will be called the Model 3

Tesla hasn't quite delivered its new Model X SUV yet, but at least we have a name for its first electric vehicle pointed at the mainstream. In an interview with AutoExpress, CEO Elon Musk (pictured above with an old Model S prototype) revealed it will be called the Model 3 (with three bars to represent it), after Ford put the kibosh on calling it the Model E. Musk has repeatedly targeted 2017 as the release window for a smaller $35,000 vehicle. He's said it will be the third generation after the original Roadster and Model S, and in the interview claims it will have a range of over 200 miles per charge, probably using batteries built in Tesla's planned Gigafactory. Musk also told the mag about a range boost upgrade coming for the original Roadster that will give it a modern battery capable of going up to 400 miles on a charge, "which will allow you to drive from LA to San Francisco non-stop."

[Thanks, Weapon] [Image credit: AP Photo/Paul Sakuma]