The massive line at the Broadway Shopping Center in Walnut Creek, CA wrapped with hundreds of people at the Tesla showroom in the morning before the store opens.

Article and photo by Marcus Siu

WALNUT CREEK, CA March 31, 2016 -The massive line outside wasn’t for the latest Apple iPhone SE at the Apple Store, but was at the Tesla showroom at the upscale Broadway Shopping Center in the city of Walnut Creek where hundreds of eagerly people, lined up and even camped out, early in the morning just before the store’s opening.

They were all ready to plunk down a $1000 deposit to secure a spot in line for Tesla’s highly anticipated Model 3, an electric vehicle (EV) which hasn’t even been even disclosed to the public yet that will get released late next year. This was a similar scene at all Tesla dealerships all around the country and the world.

The car will be disclosed at an event hosted by CEO, Elon Musk at their Tesla headquarters in Hawthorne, California, tonight.

The Model 3 will be the first affordable electric car that Tesla targeted for the mainstream public that has a range, expected at least to have a range of 200 miles on a single charge.

The $35,000 base price is less than half of that of their other luxury vehicles that start at $70,000; the Models S and X.  In addition, there are federal incentives that could decrease the final price to another $7,500, as well as additional state incentives depending on which state you are from. Of course, those incentives will run out soon with lines like these.

Back in 2006, the “master plan,” as CEO Elon Musk laid out, was simple: Sell high-priced, luxury electric vehicles to garner demand for the production of a mass-market vehicle and the infrastructure required to support it.

From the looks of these lines forming at their dealerships,  it looks like the demand for a mass-market vehicle is starting to look very real and the public may be embracing electric vehicles, after all.

Amidst the competition, Tesla is at the forefront and leader of EV technology, and way ahead of everyone else, which means that they are also well ahead of the game with the future of autonomous driving that is just around the corner.  They are also the best “connected” cars on the market with the most advanced technology backing them up.

Just like Apple fans, it looks like there is similar enthusiasm for Tesla fans, as it looks like the Model 3 is a “must have”, but like the iPhone, you still might have to charge it every night.

…but at least you don’t have to fill up $50 in gas every time you go to the gas station.