Tesla sales gallery in Portsmouth shopping center proposed
PORTSMOUTH — A local company is seeking a variance to allow a Tesla sales gallery to open at the Portsmouth Green shopping center on Route 1.
Tesla, which manufactures electric vehicles, is known for small showrooms, like what is proposed in Portsmouth, rather than large car dealerships. If it is approved and opens, the sales gallery would offer "test drives for potential customers to learn more about the vehicles, educate them on the vehicles’ features, and ultimately purchase a vehicle from this location,” attorney John Bosen wrote in documents filed with the city.
Bosen is representing Waterstone Retail. It's part of Waterstone Properties, which manages Portsmouth Green at 2454 Lafayette Road. The shopping center features McKinnon's Supermarket, Starbucks, Pinz Bowl, Dough Craft Pizza, 99 Restaurant, Chipotle, Athleta, Linda Taylor Boutique and other businesses, adjacent to the Veridian apartments.
How Tesla sales gallery in Portsmouth would work
Inside a now empty storefront space, the new showroom would feature two to three Tesla “demo models for potential customers to touch and feel,” Bosen wrote. “There will also be information about charging and Tesla’s other products such as solar panels."
The storefront where Tesla would be located last housed Empire Beauty School.
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Bosen wrote while there would be an 8-foot wide storefront entrance door to allow access to the inside and the vehicles, the Tesla demo models inside the gallery space “will be moved infrequently.”
There will be two parking spaces outside the store front, equipped “with EV chargers so that up to two Tesla demo vehicles can be charged for test drives,” Bosen said.
“These will not be the same vehicles as the demo models that will be in the showroom,” he added.
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A representative from Waterstone Properties declined to comment Friday on the Tesla gallery proposal.
Representatives of the company are slated to appear before the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment Tuesday as they seek a special exception to allow motor vehicle sales in the zoning district.
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The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will be held in council chambers at City Hall.
What to know about Tesla
Tesla, known for its high-end electric vehicles priced $38,000-plus and up, was co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk, who also leads SpaceX and Neuralink and recently purchased Twitter.
As the co-founder and CEO of Tesla, Musk leads all product design, engineering and global manufacturing of the company's electric vehicles, battery products and solar energy products, according to the Tesla website.
“Since the company’s inception in 2003, Tesla’s mission has been to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” the website states.
The first Tesla product, the Roadster sports car, debuted in 2008, followed by the Model S sedan, which was introduced in 2012, and the Model X SUV, which launched in 2015. Model S received Consumer Reports’ Best Overall Car and has been named the Ultimate Car of the Year by Motor Trend, while Model X was the first SUV ever to earn 5-star safety ratings in every category and sub-category in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s tests, according to Tesla.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Tesla sales gallery coming to Portsmouth NH? Here's the proposal
