Tesla Motors Opens Newport Beach Store

Test-drives of the electric Roadster available starting May 19th at Tesla’s Newport Beach Store

June 19, 2010

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – Tesla Motors, producer of the Roadster, the only electric highway-capable high performance vehicle will open its Newport Beach store on Wednesday. Customers are welcome to visit the store for test drives of the world’s most exciting electric vehicle.

"Orange County is an important market and strategic base for Tesla," said Tesla General Manager Southwest Region Jeremy Snyder. "We are excited to join the community."

US Roadster customers get a $7,500 federal tax credit and California customers receive a CARB rebate of $5,000 [ http://energycenter.org/index.php/incentive-programs/clean-vehicle-rebate-project/cvrp-eligible-vehicles ] for electric vehicles purchased/leased. Customers also benefit from High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane exemption and reduced charging rates from Southern California Edison [ http://www.sce.com/residential/rates/electric-vehicles.htm ].

Tesla's Newport Beach store, located at 1100 West Coast Highway, will also be 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 uniquely offers “house calls” so all customers can enjoy service from their home or office.

Tesla is revolutionizing the customer experience with its house-call approach to service. The innovative initiative gives customers peace of mind whether they live in Newport Beach or Albuquerque, NM. The Newport facility will be the service hub for customers throughout the Southwest 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 – over 200 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.

About Tesla

Tesla's goal is to produce increasingly affordable cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. Palo Alto, CA based Tesla sells cars online and has delivered over 1000 Roadsters to customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Tesla has showrooms in California’s Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Boulder, South Florida, Chicago, London, Munich and Monaco. The Tesla Roadster is faster than many sports cars yet more efficient than a hybrid.