New Tesla sales center makes Mohegan Sun 'more of a destination': What we saw

Mohegan Sun is more than just a casino, with plenty of dining, shopping, and entertainment options. Now, it is also a place you can buy a Tesla.

The electric carmaker opened its first showroom and full sales & delivery center in Connecticut at the Shops at Mohegan Sun, across from the Tuscany restaurant. The opening saw Tesla customers and enthusiasts checking out the Model Y Performance on display, and at the Sky Valet, people were driving off with their brand-new Teslas.

To accommodate the partnership, there will be 75 electric vehicle chargers at Mohegan Sun by Summer 2024. People will have a chance to test drive Tesla Model 3, Y, S, or X around the resort property, a press release states.

The Tesla showroom is open Sunday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

It’s been three years since discussions began about bringing Tesla to Mohegan Sun. Both Tesla and Mohegan Sun share brand values with preserving the environment, Mohegan Sun CEO Jeff Hamilton said.

This partnership helps change how the public experiences electric vehicles, “which can foster cleaner air, sustainable economic development in eastern Connecticut, and better Connecticut for all,” Telsa Senior Policy Advisor Zack Kahn said, speaking during the grand opening ceremony.

What to know about EV vehicles in Connecticut

Kahn also said less than 1% of vehicles on Connecticut’s roads are electric vehicles. To meet the state’s emissions goals by 2030, the state will need to have 20% of vehicles be electric vehicles.

“As the need to mitigate climate change grows more urgent, so does the need that Connecticut residents have access to electric vehicles,” he said.

Thirty-eight percent of Connecticut’s greenhouse gas emissions are transportation-related, and that is a serious problem for environmental and public health, said Executive Director of the CT League of Conservation Voters Lori Brown, speaking during the grand opening ceremony.

As Tesla is working to make its offerings more affordable, Hamilton said Tesla sales will help in reaching that goal. Tesla is still the market leader, “and I don’t see that changing,” he said.

There are also plenty of rebates and incentives at the state and federal level right now for people to buy and electric vehicle, Brown said.

Why Tesla is opening a store at Mohegan Sun

People might not come to Mohegan Sun specifically to buy a car, but the Tesla showroom gives people another reason to go, Hamilton said.

“It’s rethinking,” he said. “It’s coming up with more ways to make Mohegan Sun more of a destination."

Tesla has also opened showrooms on tribal land before to bypass laws in states that limit or prohibit direct sales of cars from automakers.

It opened its first showroom and repair shop in New Mexico on Nambé Pueblo land in 2021, the Associated Press reported.

Model 3, Model S, Cybertruck: What shoppers are looking for

After the ribbon cutting, plenty of people went inside the showroom to ask questions and look at the display car. One person who went inside right away was Norwich resident Joel Collins. He’s had a Model S from when they first came out. He was hoping to check out the Cybertruck, as he has one on order, but they aren’t at the Mohegan Sun location.

As Collins works for the VA in West Haven, he regularly has a long commute. Aside from regular maintenance, he has never had any problems with the car. He appreciates not having to worry about issues conventional vehicles have, as fewer parts can have problems, he said.

When Collins bought his Tesla, he had to go to New Jersey for it. Now that there’s a showroom in Connecticut, more people will be “intrigued” by the possibility of owning a Tesla, he said.

One person who is intrigued about owning a Tesla is Waterford resident George Hathaway. He doesn’t have a Tesla but wants to get one someday. He knows a lot about the company and loves “its potential to shape the future,” he said.

“I think it's one of the best cars,” Hathaway said.

If Hathaway had a Tesla, he’d have a Model S, but acknowledged that a Model 3 would be more realistic and affordable.

“It's one of my dream cars,” he said.

'Test drive one, and think about the future.'

When Glastonbury resident Mehrdad Faezi got into his brand new Model 3 at the Sky Valet Wednesday, the fact he now owned a Tesla still didn’t feel real. While he’s taken rides and driven Teslas before, this is his first one. He was prepared to go to New York to get a Tesla but heard about the sales and delivery center opening at Mohegan Sun.

“I’m still numb,” he said, still waiting to get a charger at home. “It won’t click (that I now own a Tesla) until later.”

Wednesday’s new Tesla owners were greeted with a congratulations certificate with their name on it, the car model, and a picture of a hedgehog raising its fist, saying “Haha, yes!”

Having a sales center in Connecticut makes it more convenient for people in the state, and it’ll encourage more people from outside Connecticut to visit, Faezi said.

“No tolls yet, and very accessible,” he said.

Faezi said that anyone debating on getting a Tesla should “test drive one, and think about the future.”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Tesla opens first CT sales center at Mohegan Sun: What we saw there