May 8, 2017—Tesla plans to add 100 retail, delivery and service locations by the end of 2017, the company told shareholders last Wednesday. This would represent a 30 percent increase in facilities.
“As part of our Model 3 launch preparations, we are significantly expanding our infrastructure to support Tesla owners by increasing the density and geographic footprint of our presence,” Tesla wrote in a Q1 earnings letter.
The company said the new facilities will be larger than they were in the past, about which Ratchet+Wrench has written extensively.
“For example, new service locations commonly have many more service bays, and we have tested the implementation of large delivery hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Beijing,” the company wrote. “Delivery hubs create an exciting reception for new customers and support much higher delivery levels, so we plan to expand this customer experience to more cities.”
Tesla also plans on significantly investing in upping its mobile repair presence (the company said it would add 100 mobile units in Q2 alone) and increasing focus on its diagnostic equipment.
“Using remote diagnostics, our service technicians are increasingly able to identify repair needs in advance of meeting with customers and even before customers notice issues. This has helped reduce repair times by 35 percent this year,” Tesla wrote. “Our goal is to reduce repair times even further.w customers and support much higher delivery levels, so we plan to expand this customer experience to more cities.”
The focus on improving Tesla repairs is extending into the collision side as well, as the company revealed plans of opening Tesla body shops later this year, as FenderBender reported. This plan follows its announcement in March to add 300 certified independent body shops within just a few weeks.
