Tesla cruises into Canada and expands with help from Toyota
Staff
Electronics CEL
Tesla Motors, producer of the Roadster, the only electric highway-capable high performance vehicle announces the delivery of the first Roadsters to Canada. “It is both a personal and collective statement of optimism for a better future, as well as fun and actually practical transportation.”
Customers from Toronto to British Columbia took delivery of their Roadsters this week. New owners Vincent and Maggie Argiro rave about their first few days with their Roadster, "It is both a personal and collective statement of optimism for a better future, as well as fun and actually practical transportation."
Later this year Tesla will open its first Canadian store in downtown Toronto. Tesla Canada will be a sales center as well as a service and parts hub – all under one roof.
Tesla is revolutionizing the customer experience with its house-call approach to service. Tesla’s pioneering mobile service technicians, the Tesla Rangers, travel to customers’ homes and perform annual inspections, firmware upgrades and other services. Customers can enjoy service from their home or office wherever they live.
The Roadster Sport consumes no gasoline. With an acceleration of 0-100km/hr in less than four seconds, it is the only car that delivers supercar performance guilt-free, with zero tailpipe emissions and a carbon footprint dramatically lower than any comparable sports car.
To charge the Roadster, owners simply plug it in to any conventional outlet. A full charge provides over 380 kms of driving range. It is the only sports car in the world that can be charged with solar, hydro or wind energy.
The Roadster requires less routine maintenance than conventional cars. It does not need regular oil changes or exhaust system work. Roadsters have no spark plugs, pistons, hoses, belts or clutches to replace.
Tesla and Toyota announced on May 20th that they intend to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support.
The two companies intend to form a specialist team to further those efforts. TMC has agreed to purchase $50 million of Tesla’s common stock issued in a private placement to close immediately subsequent to the closing of Tesla’s currently planned initial public offering.
"I’ve felt an infinite possibility about Tesla’s technology and its dedication to monozukuri (Toyota’s approach to manufacturing)," said TMC President Akio Toyoda. "Through this partnership, by working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has. Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that ‘venture business spirit,’ and take on the challenges of the future."
"Toyota is a company founded on innovation, quality, and commitment to sustainable mobility. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Toyota would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla,” said Tesla CEO and cofounder Elon Musk. “We look forward to learning and benefiting from Toyota’s legendary engineering, manufacturing, and production expertise."
