By Maria Gallucci - Electric vehicle superstar Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) expanded its reach into European and U.S. markets this week, continuing its quest to bolster the allure of battery-powered cars and make them easier for drivers to own.
The California carmaker, led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, said it opened three of its fast-charging stations along German highways on Thursday to facilitate travel to Switzerland and Austria, Bloomberg News reported. Tesla currently has 23 of its “supercharger” stations across the continent but plans to have at least five times that amount installed by the end of next year.
“This shows how important the European market is for Tesla,” the company said of the German expansion in a statement.
Tesla said it also plans to open more than 30 new service centers and stores in Europe as interest in its luxury Model S sedan continues to climb. Earlier this month, the company delivered its first right-hand drive model to customers in the United Kingdom.
The electric vehicle leader forecasts a jump in global deliveries of more than 55 percent this year, Bloomberg noted.
In the United States, Tesla opened up a gallery in Dallas, Texas, to generate buzz around its gas-free technology, although the company technically can’t sell its cars in the state. Texas, like various other states, forbids automakers from selling directly to their customers, a law meant to protect dealership owners.
“We can’t give test drives. We can’t discuss price. We can’t take orders,” Alexis Georgeson, a Tesla spokeswoman, told a local NBC affiliate. Texas car buyers can purchase a Model S online, however. The Dallas showroom, one of more than 60 stores and galleries across the country, is meant to drive demand despite the restrictions.
Tesla made news last week when Musk, the chief executive, announced he had released all of Tesla’s patents to the public in an attempt to spur more competition in the electric vehicle market. The company has also said that it is aiming to slash the Model S’s price tag in half to $35,000 within the next three years—in large part by reducing the cost of the advanced batteries that power the car. The company plans to build a $5 billion “gigafactory” to produce lower-cost lithium-ion cells.
More than 30,000 Teslas and nearly 100 supercharger stations are spread out across the United States, a miniscule but growing fraction of the overall auto sector.