Tesla Model S. Image: Asif Islam/Shutterstock
The day has finally arrived for Irish electric vehicle fans to pick up a Tesla in Ireland, as Elon Musk’s company reveals prices and how you can arrange a test drive.
Back in February, news of the availability of Tesla cars in Ireland first became known and since October, details have been coming in thick and fast on the highly sought electric vehicle (EV) range.
Until now, anyone in Ireland looking to own a Tesla would have to travel to the UK to and drive it back over here to be registered. The latest development now means that from early 2017, they will be able to make the shorter trip to an Irish Tesla store.
The store’s opening will come prior to the future launch of Tesla’s Model 3 car due for release sometime in the latter half of 2018. Tesla hopes this will bring the company from a luxury carmaker to one for the wider public, in addition to the opening of four charging points in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast.
New details have been revealed by the company regarding its current S and X models, which as of now are available to order and buy in Ireland.
The Model S variant of the Tesla is a saloon car with a driving range of up to 613km, which would be more than double Ireland’s biggest EV seller, the Nissan Leaf.
Test drives coming in December
The Model X variant is Tesla’s more sporty vehicle, with a range of 542km on a single charge and the capacity to go from zero to 100kph in 3.1 seconds.
With the Irish Tesla site now live, the price for the Model S starts at €81,086. This includes the reduced vehicle registration tax and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland grant of €5,000 for a new private EV purchase.
Meanwhile, the Model X will set you back a six-figure sum of at least €110,042.
All Tesla models will ship with Tesla’s autopilot feature that allows a driver to enter a semi-autonomous mode for motorway driving.
If you fancy trying out one of the cars, Tesla has said that it will be holding test drives between 1 and 4 December in Dublin.
Tesla Model S. Image: Asif Islam/Shutterstock
Updated, 12.19pm, 2 November 2016: This article was amended to reflect that the Model 3 will be launched in the latter half of 2018, but global information for Model 3 production is expected mid-2017.
