Tesla set to open second N.M. outlet at Santa Ana Pueblo

Electric car pioneer Tesla will open a second New Mexico sales, service and delivery center at the Santa Ana Pueblo, even as New Mexico remains one of 10 states prohibiting Tesla sales and service centers.

Tesla and Santa Ana Pueblo did an end run around the state prohibition on car manufacturers selling directly to customers, as that state law does not apply at sovereign tribal nations.

Tesla’s first tribal sales and service center in the country opened in September 2021 at the Nambé Falls Travel Center in the former space of the Nambé Falls Casino.

At Santa Ana, Tesla and Tamaya Ventures, the pueblo’s economic development entity, will build a 35,000-squarefoot sales, service and delivery center on 4 acres at the northeast corner of U.S. 550 and N.M. 528, or Pat D’Arco Highway near the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel.

The facility is set to open in May, according to a new release from the pueblo.

Tesla has 163 sales and service centers in 35 states, according to Tesla website data. When the Nambé Falls center opened a year ago, Tesla had only 65 sales and service centers in 24 states.

Teslas made up about half of all registered electric vehicles in New Mexico in October 2021, the most recent New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department data immediately available. At that time, 1,919 Teslas were registered in New Mexico with 3,997 total electric vehicles registered.

“This is an exciting start to the next frontier of tribal economic creation, diversification, and competitiveness,” Santa Ana Gov. Joey Sanchez said in a news release. “Tamaya Ventures has executed extremely well on behalf of the Pueblo of Santa Ana to bring a global partner like Tesla to our region. This partnership brings opportunities for economic impact & diversification, and opportunities to create careers not just jobs.”

The partnership between Tamaya Ventures and Tesla will provide training and workforce development opportunities to tribal members and create opportunities to engage young people in robotics and other Tesla technologies.