Tesla, the world’s largest clean energy-based manufacturer of automobiles, is opening a flagship showroom at the Homemaker Centre on Ann Street, in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. This development comes on the heels of Tesla’s announcement of an almost-complete link between Queensland and New South Wales, after the opening of three new supercharger stations connecting Sydney to Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne in November last year. Travel from Sydney to Melbourne is a route that’s guaranteed to test any automobile’s mettle, and Tesla owners can now enjoy greater mobility on-the-road with the Supercharging Network facilities en route.
Tesla considers Queensland to be an important part of its strategy to further establish the brand and promote the use of electric vehicles throughout Australia, where a growing demand for the zero-emission technology has been detected. Fortitude Valley has been identified as a key location to help drive Tesla’s desired market growth in the sunshine state, particularly in the South-East Queensland area, where both brand presence and infrastructure support are currently limited.
Australia’s Third Full-Service Facility
Once open, Tesla’s Fortitude Valley showroom and service centre will be its third full-service dealership in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney. Design firm Geyer has been tapped to do the fit-out, which will include updating the building’s façade and overhauling the interior of the former Videopro tenancy at the Homemaker Centre.
The design encompasses three levels. The basement level will have four public-use, round-the-clock supercharging stations and a dedicated car-wash bay. The ground floor will house the showroom and an ancillary sales office, along with servicing and delivery zones, parts storage, and a well-appointed customer lounge. The first floor will have more space for parts storage, administrative offices and staff recreation and amenities areas. An existing lift will provide easy access among levels.
Charging to Charge
To recall, late last year, Tesla announced that cars which have been ordered starting January 2017 shall come bundled with 400kWh per year of free Supercharging credits, roughly the equivalent of 1,600 kilometres of driving. This is given annually, on the anniversary of the car’s delivery. However, these new vehicles will now be charged for access to the Supercharging Network once their free credits are used up.
All existing owners will still enjoy free Supercharging access for the life of their vehicle. This includes cars which were ordered prior to January 2017, as long as their owners take delivery before April 1, 2017.
According to Tesla’s company blog, “What’s important is that in every region, Supercharging will remain simple, seamless and always significantly cheaper than gasoline. We are only aiming to recover a portion of our costs and set up a fair system for everyone; this will never be a profit center for Tesla. Customers can just plug in, charge up, and access their charging history on our website.”
Supercharging-compatible charging equipment will continue to be considered as standard inclusions for all new vehicles delivered directly from the manufacturer. All Tesla showrooms are company-owned and operate under a direct manufacturer-to-consumer model; unlike most dealerships of other car makers, which commonly operate under a franchise model.
Photo Credit: Brisbane Development DA
