New Tesla Model 3 spotting shows possible automatic charge port flap and wheel closeup

We are probably witnessing the last of the release candidate photos with excitement as after 28th of this month 30 production Model 3 vehicles will get all the attention and when another 100 cars hit the road next month we will have ample supply of Model 3 love to disperse.

u/WattLOL from the Tesla subreddit recently spotted a white Tesla Model 3 release candidate (gallery below) that was being covered while Supercharging at Bakersfield, CA location. The ultra HD pictures he was able to take specially of the charge port and the aero wheel show fantastic detail of both parts of the vehicle.

According to WattLOL he actually saw the charge port flap opening automatically as soon as the button on the Supercharging cable was pressed. On the Model 3 vs Model S comparison chart Tesla has mentioned explicitly that Model 3 will not have ‘Auto-Presenting Door Handles’ but nothing is mentioned about the ‘charge port flap’.

By looks of the flap previously it has been speculated that it is a manual open and close function but now it seems the flap will auto open but there is no observation by the photographer if the flap closes automatically or not.

Also the closest photo of the wheel he was able to take shows that the aero-wheel is an 18″ rim which probably will offered as standard on the base Model 3. The V-Spoke Wheel design seems to be the optional 19″ option for the ones who desire better aesthetics and larger wheel size.

It’s less than 2 weeks remaining when we will have seen the first batch of production Model 3 cars being handed over to the lucky owners and all the mysteries will unravel at once. Although according to Trevor Page of Model 3 Owners Club the Design Studio for Model 3 might not open immediately on 28th July, it can even take weeks to go online for 400,000+ reservation holders.

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