Tesla / St. Louis

There is no formal association between St. Louis and Tesla Motors . . . yet. Tesla is the maker of two all-electric vehicles, one already on the streets – the Roadster – and one under production – the Model S. The Roadster will set you back around $100,000 but it is one mean beast. The Model S, set to cost under $60,000, is a more practical sedan. $60,000 is not affordable by any stretch of the imagination but it is in line with the costs of equivalent luxury automobiles.

What’s the point of this discussion? I want Tesla to open a showroom in St. Louis. I know, this sounds like a pipe dream given the company only plans to sell 20,000 to 25,000 units worldwide. To date, Tesla has opened showrooms in Los Angeles and Menlo Park, California. The company plans to open other showrooms in Chicago, Manhattan, Miami and Seattle. Other possibilities include Washington D.C., and Munich, Germany. After they finish opening locations in the top U.S. markets, I want their secondary expansion to start in St. Louis.

I’ve spoke with representatives from the company and they do plan on expanding further as delivery of the Model S approaches. Why? Basic maintenance and servicing for one. Also, most electric cars, including Tesla’s models, will include easily replaceable batteries (though they’ll weigh hundreds of pounds). Most electric cars will be sold with short-range batteries, as higher capacity batteries drastically increase costs and aren’t used for their full potential the majority of the time. The base Model S will come with a 160-mile range battery, but the company will also offer 230 and 300-mile batteries. If someone buys the car to commute to work, why should he pay tens of thousands of dollars extra for a long-range battery? Most likely, he wouldn’t. Proponents of electric cars envision a scenario in which an owner would take his car to service station to have his batter temporarily replaced for a longer car trip. To make this scenario a reality, more sales/service locations will be needed than just those on the coasts and one in Chicago. Got it? Good.

So, stay tuned for more updates as I campaign to get enough Tesla’s sold in St. Louis to get a showroom here as well!