American automaker Tesla is on track to open its first-ever store in South Burlington, Vermont, on March 1 at the earliest.
However, the launch date indicates a two-month gap from the previous reports that suggested that the facility will finally open in the latter half of January 2024.
Development progress
A supervisor of the Vermont Tesla store apparently said that the facility needs more development to reach completion, Electrek reports, citing one of its readers’ statements.
That said, it would be impossible for Tesla to actually open the store in just four days from now. As a result, the store’s inauguration is expected to occur by at least March 1 of this year.
Nonetheless, a former Hannaford Supermarket is now displaying an enormous Tesla sign at its front.
Benefits
The state’s roughly 3,000 Tesla drivers have had no choice but to drive to Latham, New York, to get the necessary service and repairs for their cars up until now.
If customers seek to purchase or lease a new Tesla model, they would need to travel to New Jersey to avoid the hefty delivery charge.
Although Tesla provides mobile service to its Vermont-based customers, its technicians cannot give their full service as they can in a shop.
Finally, Tesla will soon open its first store in Vermont. It is indeed a piece of good news for its customers, as it significantly cuts the once-necessary travel to other states.
“It’s going to be saving us a lot of long trips going to service centers. … It takes about two-and-a-half hours to drive there.”
Vermont Tesla Owners Group manager Todd Lockwood told the Burlington Free Press
Vermont’s EV adoption
According to Yahoo Finance, Vermont’s electric vehicle registrations surged by more than 50% from 2020 to 2021. Another data from Drive Electric Vermont indicated that the state’s EV registrations continued to improve with a 34% growth from 2022 to 2023.
This significant progress apparently came after the state government authorized customers to purchase EVs directly in 2021. In addition, the US Inflation Reduction Act significantly aided in reducing the pricing of eligible EV models by up to $7,500 in tax credits.
Tesla’s influential presence in the market has also undoubtedly aided the state’s continuous progress in electric vehicle uptake. The imminent launch of the Musk-led company’s local store can further boost the number of EV owners in the state, potentially leading to a strong sales performance this year.
