Tesla opens second Melbourne store

TESLA'S Australian presence continues to grow with Victoria's first combined store and service centre now operational in Melbourne, and ambitious plans to continue building the electric car-maker's local infrastructure.

Melbourne now leads the country for Tesla support with one store at the Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne's south-east, plus the latest store and service centre based in the inner city suburb of Richmond.

The official opening of the third Tesla store was attended by Victorian state minister for industry, energy and resources Lily D'Ambrosio, and existing Tesla customers.

Sydney is home to one store with a service centre, but the company is planning to open a second store in the New South Wales capital within the next 12 months, taking the national tally to four.

The company is considering where to continue the store roll-out and, while Tesla has not yet decided on a location, it will “make the investment where our owners are, to support them with the services they need.”

Each store offers charging facilities with lounges for customers to relax while topping up their EV, but the rapid Supercharge network is set to expand around the country.

Rather than adding to the web of fast chargers one by one, Tesla is planning simultaneous commissioning of sites to create a larger, more versatile network, and says the expanded network will enable owners to travel between Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra by the end of the year.

The newest Supercharger station in Melbourne will also become a 24-hour station in the coming months, offering lounge facilities with free WiFi while customers wait.

High-speed Supercharger locations now total three with another planned for Goulburn, NSW, while additional lower-rate plug-in points take the Tesla charge web to 10 destinations along the east coast.

In addition to the all-new service centre, Tesla has also completed an update of its Chadstone store, which now has refreshed décor and branding along with new customer interaction technology.

The electric car-maker does not refer to its centres as dealerships as each location is owned and operated by Tesla, and franchises are not available as is the case with all other brands.

While vehicle orders can be placed at stores, customers are encouraged to learn about pricing, specification and available options from home, with all information accessible online. Transactions can also be made online.