According to the Jerusalem Post, Tesla will begin selling its cars in Israel in January of 2020. As it does elsewhere, the company will offer its vehicles to customers online and at Tesla stores, where people can come to learn more about the cars from company representatives on site. Prices in Israel have not yet been announced.
The first store reportedly will open at the popular Ramat Aviv Mall in Tel Aviv in January. That will make Tesla the first foreign car manufacture to sell directly to the public in Israel instead of using the services of a designated importer.
In November, Tesla registered Tesla Motors Israel Ltd. as a fully owned subsidiary company with the Israeli government, according to the daily business news website Globes. In December, it posted an opening for a person to be in charge of the Israeli operation. That person will be based in Tel Aviv and be responsible for “driving the Service, Sales and Delivery strategy and operations in Israel,” Tesla said.
Additional responsibilities include hiring a local workforce, liaising with the government where required, engaging suppliers to assist in market setup, developing the local market, and participating in the “strategic design of our charging infrastructure footprint in the market to enable sales and engage customers.”
At the present time, a search on the Tesla website for a Supercharger in Tel Aviv defaults to a list of locations in the United States. There are several locations in nearby Jordan, however. Expect Tesla to be proactive in getting a Supercharger network up and running in Israel as soon as possible.
In fact, knowing Elon Musk’s penchant for being on top of his game in all areas at all times, it’s likely there are crews installing the first Tesla Supercharger locations as we speak. Considering that Israel is blessed with abundant sunshine, it wouldn’t be a surprise if some or all of them were supplied with electricity derived from solar panels.
