Tesla. Image: Nadezda Murmakova/Shutterstock
Tesla has confirmed that plans to open an Irish store are at an advanced stage as the company’s first ‘affordable car’ speeds to market.
Six months after Tesla owner Elon Musk revealed plans to launch official sales of his cars in Ireland, news of a Tesla store has emerged.
To coincide with several supercharge stations dotted around the country, The Irish Times today reports that Dublin will most likely host the electric vehicle company’s first footprint in Ireland.
Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen, Tesla Motors’ director of Nordic sales, told the paper that the opening of the Irish store “will happen simultaneously with the introduction of superchargers”, and that the company is “pretty far into the process”.
Tesla’s plans for superchargers in Ireland have been known for a few months now, with its own map highlighting Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast as likely destinations. These may be built by the end of this year.
While Tesla cars are able to charge off the existing charging point infrastructure established and run by ESB Networks, Tesla’s own charging points will be established to work with its own technology.
Bardenfleth-Hansen said the store’s location is yet to be finalised, with hopes for a space stocked with amenities, and security high on the list of priorities.
“Usually, we partner with a site that has the amenities for our customers to be able to use the restrooms and restaurant,” he said.
“Customers will be in that location for anything between 30 minutes and an hour. We have an unwritten rule of thumb that it needs to be a place where a mother with children coming in at 10pm at night feels safe.”
2017 is gearing up as a big year for Tesla. The Model 3 will be Tesla’s introduction into the mainstream vehicle market, securing hundreds of thousands of pre-orders just one week after the $35,000 cars were revealed.
The plan is to roll them out late next year, so ensuring that an infrastructure of stores and charge points are in place is clearly the priority right now.
Tesla. Image: Nadezda Murmakova/Shutterstock
