As Tesla gears up with free deliveries for its Model 3 electric car in the US, to stay on track as the third quarter of the year comes to an end, the electric car-maker has announced the opening of a new service and delivery centre in Sydney’s inner western suburb of Alexandria.
In addition to the new centre, owners of Tesla vehicles in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne can also now take advantage of a mobile service for minor repairs and maintenance at their home, or office or wherever is convenient.
The centre, which has been opened ahead of the much anticipated arrival of the automaker’s popular Model 3 next year, is now in full use, a spokesperson for Tesla told The Driven.
The location of the centre was partly chosen because of its proximity to the eastern suburbs of Sydney, where Tesla has a significant number of customers.
It is the second centre in Sydney, the first of which is located in Sydney’s northern suburb of St. Leonards.
“The launch of mobile servicing, the new Service and Delivery centre in Alexandria and our expanding Supercharger network are all essential as Tesla moves towards the release of Model 3 in 2019,” the spokesperson said.
While the facility is currently servicing the many owners of the Tesla Model X and Model S in the Sydney metropolitan region, the centre will become a focus for deliveries of the Model 3 as sales gather pace after its arrival next year.
Customers will only need to visit a service centre rarely however, as according to Tesla’s spokesperson, as 80% of repairs can be conducted by the mobile service.
“The introduction of mobile servicing in Australia is part of Tesla’s efforts to double our global mobile service fleet throughout 2018,” the spokesperson told The Driven.
The service, which is already available in the US and UK and consists of a fleet of Tesla vehicles, costs no more than that of using a service centre, the spokeperson told The Driven.
In addition to repairs and maintenance of its customer’s electric cars, the Tesla mobile service will also offer remote diagnostics and over-the-air updates, further reducing the need to visit service centres.
“In the rare case that your car requires a shop visit, service will be quick and seamless,” the company states.
The Tesla Model 3 is slated to arrive in Australia sometime near the middle of 2019.
The company offered a sneak peek to reservation holders of the Model 3 late last month.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.