Photo: cnet.com
While the least expensive version of the Model S luxury four-door has recently become available on the Chinese market, it seems Elon Musk’s plans are far from being over in his green Asian adventure. Recently, Beijing’s first Tesla supercharger station turned operational.
Putting the Tesla on sale in the Chinese market is probably one of the biggest steps in electric auto industry, considering demand for the Model S is so over the top there that speculators invite impatient customers to bid for the green car. Furthemore, let us not forget that the automotive industry in China has become the largest in the world measured by automobile unit production since 2008.
The first superchargers in greater China were officially switched on for public use in April, the latest one being the one from the capital city. According to Xinhua, two of them were planted in Shanghai with plans for further stations in Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzen. And all that before the Chinese fall season.
Tesla’s supercharger station is located in the North-Eastern part of the city, within a small technology park - the same location where CEO Elon Musk handed over the keys to the first nine Model S buyers in China in late April. According to CNET, the company’s spokesman has confirmed that despite the rumors, new cars have been delivered on a weekly basis since the first nine were shipped.
Buyers in China are being stimulated by the government to switch to the green cars, as they get a free license plate worth around ¥57,000 ($15,000). However, the starting price of the Tesla S is ¥648,000 ($103,900 at current exchange rates) so we can’t really consider this a budget ride. Not yet, anyway...
The first superchargers in greater China were officially switched on for public use in April, the latest one being the one from the capital city. According to Xinhua, two of them were planted in Shanghai with plans for further stations in Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzen. And all that before the Chinese fall season.
Tesla’s supercharger station is located in the North-Eastern part of the city, within a small technology park - the same location where CEO Elon Musk handed over the keys to the first nine Model S buyers in China in late April. According to CNET, the company’s spokesman has confirmed that despite the rumors, new cars have been delivered on a weekly basis since the first nine were shipped.
Buyers in China are being stimulated by the government to switch to the green cars, as they get a free license plate worth around ¥57,000 ($15,000). However, the starting price of the Tesla S is ¥648,000 ($103,900 at current exchange rates) so we can’t really consider this a budget ride. Not yet, anyway...
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