Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla customers and employees will gather at Tesla’s Los Angeles store at 10 a.m. Thursday, leaving an hour later in an “Arctic white” 2010 Roadster Sport. They’ll be joined by Roadster owners from Southern California, Tesla’s largest regional market. Their first stop is the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana at about noon.
Tesla employees – including engineers, lawyers, recruiters and salespeople – will make dozens of stops nationwide for test drives, tech talks, customer-appreciation events and media opportunities. Tesla, which is aggressively recruiting mechanical and electrical engineers, is also swinging through college towns in Arizona, Texas and Illinois. The electric car will arrive in Detroit in advance of the North American International Auto Show, which starts Jan. 11.
Media opportunities include:
San Antonio, Texas, 5 p.m., Dec. 23: Tech Talk – Roadster Program Director Barrie Dickinson will host a tech talk with the Alamo City Area Electric Vehicle Club at The Republic House, 12333 West Ave. San Antonio, Texas.
Cresson, Texas, 3 p.m., Dec. 27: Roadster Rally – Jason Mendez, manager of powertrain manufacturing engineering and one of the company’s earliest employees, will take a few laps at MotorSport Ranch, 9012 Performance Court, Cresson, Texas.
Plano, Texas, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Dec. 28: Charge While You Charge — Tesla will host test drives and meet customers at Shops at Legacy, 5700 Legacy Drive, Plano, Texas.
The entire road trip route is here: http://www.teslamotors.com/roadtrip/ .
For more events along the route, follow us on Twitter and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=teslamotors&init=quick#/teslamotors
Tesla Motors Opens South Florida Store
Tesla Motors, the only automaker producing highway-capable Electric Vehicles will open its doors in Dania Beach on Thursday and offer test drives throughout the weekend of the world’s most exciting electric vehicle, the Tesla Roadster.
"South Florida is a strong market and will be a strategic base for Tesla," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "From installing solar-powered street lights to promoting the advancement and adoption of electric vehicles, this forward-looking region has established itself as an environmental leader."
US Roadster customers get a $7,500 federal tax credit and Florida owners are able to use carpool lanes during rush-hour if they replace their gas guzzler with an electric, zero-emission vehicle as well as benefiting from a 10 percent "alternative fuel vehicle discount" from Farmers Insurance.
Tesla’s South Florida store, located at 1949 Tigertail Boulevard in Dania Beach, is also the newest regional hub for Tesla’s pioneering mobile service squad. Professional technicians known as Tesla Rangers will travel to customers’ homes and perform annual inspections, firmware upgrades and other services. Tesla is the only automaker offering "house calls" so all customers can enjoy service from their home or office.
Tesla’s house-call approach is an industry-leading initiative to give customers peace of mind – whether they live in Orlando, New Orleans or Nashville. The Dania Beach facility will be the service hub for customers throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States.
The Roadster Sport, with an acceleration of 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, consumes no gasoline. Owners simply charge the Roadster overnight and wake up to the equivalent of a full tank – roughly 240 miles of driving. The Roadster requires less routine maintenance than conventional cars. It does not need regular oil changes or exhaust system work. Roadsters have no spark plugs, pistons, hoses, belts or clutches to replace. Zero tailpipe emission means no smog checks.
Tesla Motors: Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Tesla is the world’s only automaker producing and selling highway-capable electric vehicles. Tesla, which has delivered about 900 cars to customers, sells vehicles online and operates showrooms and galleries in California’s Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, Colorado, New York, Seattle, South Florida, London, Munich and Monaco.
The all-electric Tesla Roadster Sport accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, outpacing almost all gasoline-powered sports cars but producing zero tailpipe emissions. It’s eligible for substantial tax incentives throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The Roadster does not need regular oil changes or exhaust system work. Roadsters have no spark plugs, pistons, radiators, alternators or clutches to replace. Tesla recommends a standard service and diagnostic inspection once a year – and Tesla can perform service with convenient “house calls” at customers’ homes or offices.
