Tesla “Plugs In” To London, Canada, By Taking Over Former Porsche Dealership
Tesla is plugging into London, Ontario, Canada, by taking over a former Porsche dealership, The London Free Press has reported. The former Porsche dealership is on London’s west end on Oxford Street West and will be a new Tesla service center. For Tesla owners in London, this means that they will no longer have to make the journey to Kitchener for service.
https://twitter.com/MontrealTesla/status/1346166249672335361
Darryn John, who founded Drive Tesla Canada, spoke with The London Free Press. “They’re expanding in Canada now. Tesla is a big name and an expansion into your market is good, it’s significant for the community,” he said. Tesla, which is opening around six service centers in Canada, will include London as a part of its expansion plan. The article noted that there’s not a firm timeline as to when the new service center in London will open, but Tesla has opened other stations in other cities just a few months after buying the properties there.
This move is being driven by two factors. One is sales growth. The other is Covid-19. For owners who have to travel far just to get their car serviced, it’s a challenge to do so while under lockdown. Tesla owners in Manitoba and Nova Scotia need to travel out of the province to get any type of work done on their vehicles.
Tesla Sales, Delivery and Service Center coming soon to London, Ontario: https://t.co/BGG6yI2SGs
— 🇨🇦T Model3 (@aseatran) December 30, 2020
The article also included an interview with Elana Johnson, who was one of the first Tesla owners in London. She and her husband, Chris Collins, would drive to Mississauga, Kitchener, to service their vehicles and sometimes had the Tesla service van come to them. “This is fabulous. It has hardly needed any service but we initially bought the service package and they came here for everything,” she said. “They have done an excellent job, they have been very responsive, but this is reassuring. It’s a good sign technology is being embraced.”
The article also noted that London has had good growth in EVs. According to Ontario’s Transportation Ministry, the number of electric and hybrid electric vehicles grew from about 500 to 800 in 18 months. That number may seem small, but note that London’s population as of 2017 was just under 405,000.
Don Millar, president of the London Electric Vehicle Association, shared that he was happy about the news of the increase of EVs in his city. “This is great news. I’m really happy,” he said. “This will help in the adoption of electric vehicles. This will put pressure on car dealers in London to sell more electric vehicles here.”
Millar cuts straight to the point: “We need this. There are so many people denying the climate emergency. We need immediate action and we’re not getting it.”
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