"Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."

Captain James T. Kirk introduced viewers to his crew and ship with these famous words during the opening sequence of "Star Trek," but he could have also been talking about wunderkind Elon Musk and his shiny new car. Last week, the Tesla CEO/Space X visionary/mad genius kicked off pre-orders for the the auto manufacturer's futuristic electric sedan, the Model 3, showing the world that there is indeed a market for electric vehicles.

Spaceship specs
With its intelligent features, impressive electric technology and sleek design, Tesla believes the Model 3 will be the starship that brings transportation into the future, via hyperspeed, of course.

According to Tesla's plans for the vehicle, the Model 3 has some truly futuristic specs that really will take drivers to places where no owners of electric vehicles have gone before – like across the state. Gone are the days when consumers feared being stranded by an electric battery that ran out too quickly: With just one charge, the Model 3 can be driven an incredible 215 miles. And as Computerworld noted, it's also faster than a Mercedes: The Model 3 can go 0-60 mph in less than six seconds, while the Mercedes C-class clocks 0-60 mph in a comparatively laggard 6.3 seconds.

The Model 3 also features impressive technology. It boasts an automatic lane-changing feature and a sleek dashboard that dropped an instrument panel for a touchscreen. However, the coolest feature of the Model 3 is that you can summon it to you … without a driver in the car. Using an app, you can turn on the car, open your garage door and have the car back out, all on its own. CNN Money has a neat video demonstrating the feature here.

Lift off for EV
Musk revealed the Model 3 to the public March 31, and within just two days, 276,000 people pre-ordered the vehicle, far surpassing estimates, according to the Washington Post. For comparison, many of the best-selling cars in the U.S. only reach 300,000 in sales per year. Musk will likely exceed this number in less than a week.

"We've never seen anything quite like this in the auto industry," said Edmunds.com senior analyst Jessica Caldwell in an interview with the source. "It is unprecedented."

People camped out at Tesla dealerships across the country, eagerly putting down an initial payment of $1,000 for a pre-order. The Model 3 is currently being advertised at $35,000 – not much higher than your average new vehicle – though this is a bare-bones version, noted the Post. Experts predict that it will ultimately sell for an average of $42,000.

The massive pre-order sales are impressive on their own, but they also have a greater significance: They show that there is a big market for electric vehicles that are forward-thinking, stylish and the perfect balance between luxury and affordability. In short: EV can be done, it just has to be done right. Or to put it even shorter: Be like Apple. Many pundits are decreeing the Model 3 the "iPhone of the auto industry."

"The Model 3's huge reservation list should serve as a big wake-up call for the rest of the industry," said Tony Lim, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, in an interview with the Post. "Tesla just did a lot of heavy lifting to attract attention to the EV segment. Now is the time for competitive manufacturers to begin leveraging this momentum that Tesla created and building awareness to their fully electric vehicles that have comparable performance and appeal."

Houston, do we have a problem?
There is a slight catch to all of this that will hinge upon whether the notoriously ambitious Musk can follow through with his promises for the Model 3: None of the cars has even been built yet, despite the company promising delivery in 2017. In a shareholder letter released last year, Tesla management stated that it was "highly confident of average production and deliveries of 1,600 to 1,800 vehicles per week for Model S and Model X combined during 2016," reported The Motley Fool. Add it all up and this means that in one year, Tesla will manufacture around 86,000 vehicles – far below what they'll need to churn out in 2017 for the Model S.

The critics are ready to pounce – The Daily Beast recently published an article headlined "Tesla's Model 3 Could Destroy Elon Musk's Company" – but as Captain Kirk once said:

"Risk! Risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about."

If a Tesla isn't in the cards for your right now, don't sweat it. Head to NJ Auto Auction and we'll hook you up with a stylish ride that doesn't break the bank.

If you've seen the dark comedy "The Cable Guy," you certainly remember Jim Carrey maniacally yelling "The future is now!" in the middle of a thunderstorm. Well, it turns out the Cable Guy is right – the future has a knack of getting here sooner than we think. Just as the Internet changed how people watch television, it's also going to change the automotive industry in big ways.

ABI Research recently released its "Six Transformative Paradigms" that are going to lead the auto industry toward a smart and sustainable future over the next 25 years. These six paradigms are: The Software Defined Car, Sensors and Big Data, The Connected Car, Car Sharing and Driverless, Electrification, and Internet of Things and Cooperative Mobility. The first three shifts are already taking place, while the last three will occur in the next decade, all leading up to what ABI calls "smart, sustainable mobility."

Auto manufacturers are already incorporating "smart" features into their vehicles, and tech giants like Apple and Google are developing their own enhanced vehicles. These smart cars can communicate with other vehicles and devices, constantly sharing data and feedback for an improved driving experience. Meanwhile, car sharing services like Uber and Lyft are re-defining how people get around, and the surge in electric vehicles is shaking up how car owners fuel up.

Disrupt, adapt, survive
According to ABI, these six paradigms present a number of opportunities for auto industry players to "reinvent themselves," for example, gas stations will have to start offering charging stations to stay relevant. Dealerships and insurance companies will have to rethink their places in the industry, too, and it will be the most agile and innovative that survive.

"The final three stages cooperative mobility, electrification, and car sharing leading to driverless cars will be the most disruptive to the automotive industry," said Dominique Bonte, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. "Not all car manufacturers will survive the changing landscape. And newcomers will also emerge, ones eager to create new, software-defined, high-tech cars."

Making changes
With all these big changes already underway, what are the big auto makers doing to stay relevant? In a post for EVObsession, James Ayre wrote:

"One would think that with the shifting ground becoming more and more apparent, established auto-manufacturers would be putting more of an effort into staying ahead of the curve, but that largely doesn't appear to be the case. Though perhaps there's more going on behind closed doors than we are aware of?"

He has a point – auto manufacturers will have to boldly innovate to survive this smart, sustainable future. Some manufacturers are taking some steps toward the future, and it's likely others will follow suit. Last year, Ford announced its Smart Mobility Plan and 25 "global experiments designed to change the way the world moves." The company showed off its SYNC 3, a vehicle connectivity system and development plans for fully self-driving vehicles.

If you own a smartphone and live in a city, chances are you're familiar with Uber, Lyft and similar "ride-sharing" services. These apps, which allow users to hail a cab and pay automatically, have skyrocketed in popularity lately due to their incredible convenience, not to mention the significant cost-savings over conventional taxi services.

Not unsurprisingly, while consumers and bar-goers the world over are singing the praises of these services, cab companies are viewing the intrusion of ride-sharing into their market share somewhat less favorably. 

This tension has recently come to a head in numerous places across the globe, with strikes, protests and even new laws coming out of the war between the cabbies. What's going on, and what might the future of everyone's favorite cab-hailing app look like?

Equalizing cab rides?
The purported benefits of services like Uber and Lyft swing both ways. Not only do commuters have reliable and cost-effective access to transportation without having to worry about having cash on hand, but these companies also offer enterprising individuals a chance to essentially work for themselves by turning their cars into their livelihoods. 

In fact, the popular ride-sharing service has grown tremendously even over the last year. According to Inc. magazine, Uber employed around 550 people in 2013 – that number was expected to jump by as much as 200 percent in 2015, and with the company expanding out from the Bay Area to places as far away as France, it's a projection that is likely very accurate.

This tremendous growth is facilitated by the fact that Uber jobs are remarkably accessible. According to the company's official site, prospective employees only need to be 21 or older. As long as they meet the age requirements, have a commercial driver's license (or equivalent) and have a recent-model car with up-to-date insurance, there's nothing stopping them from joining the Uber team.

What about the cabbies?
As is the case with anything that sounds too good to be true, Uber isn't without its share of hiccups. Cab companies all across the world are rallying to protest against the company that they claim is driving them out of business. In fact, a recent cab strike in France has set the stage for similar demonstrations elsewhere. Boston has become the latest city whose cabbies have banded together to try and regulate the ride-sharing giant, though Massachusetts and U.S. federal government officials seem reluctant to pass new laws restricting the operation of ride-sharing giants in cities.

While this may not be great news for conventional cabbies, it's an encouraging fact for anyone who may be interested in experimenting with a life on the road. Even those with pre-owned vehicles can be eligible to be Uber drivers, so long as their cars aren't too old and are kept in good condition.

If you've been flirting with the idea of being a self-employed Uber driver, let New Jersey State Auto Auction help. You'll find hundreds of reliable, Carfax-certified cars on the lot, and a helpful and accommodating sales staff ready to help you drive away happy.