Tesla is set to plug into UAE grid, Musk says
CALIFORNIA ELECTRIC CARMAKER OPENS TWO SUPER-CHARGING STATIONS IN UAE
California electric automaker Tesla is plugging into the UAE electricity grid with an investment of tens of millions of dollars to support the arrival of its new cars by summer, confirmed Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO yesterday.
Musk told reporters in a press conference at the World Government Summit in Dubai that Tesla is now taking orders for its electric vehicles that critics have dubbed as game changer.
Two super-charging stations are now open in Dubai at the last Jebel Ali exit of Shaikh Zayed Road en route to Abu Dhabi, Musk said, with another open in Masdar City in the nation’s capital to serve customers.
Five more super stations are planned for installation across the UAE by year end.
The high-powered charging stations will enable owners of the Model S car to fill-up with electricity within a few minutes for around $10 in the UAE as compared to $25-$30 for a similar-sized petrol-powered sedan, Musk said.
Known for his ambitious aspirations for space travel as founder of Space X, Musk said he chose UAE as the first Middle East country to host Tesla because he liked the country’s goal to create 25 per cent of its national energy mix from solar power only by 2030.
Calling the UAE a “beacon”, Musk said building a a new Tesla store and service centre in Dubai this year as well in Abu Dhabi in 2018 was backed by a good “gut feeling” that the UAE is on the right path to slash carbon emissions and reduce fossil fuels via higher renewable energy generation.
“I think it’s a very smart decision for the long term. People will look back on this and say it was a really smart move,” Musk told reporters.
Musk was grilled by reporters as to whether Tesla batteries would hold up under the heat of the UAE where it can reach upwards of 50C and commonly forces many traditional car owners to replace their car batteries every two or three years.
While acknowledging that in extreme heat, some Tesla cars may see a “10-15 per cent reduction in range”, Musk said Tesla technology has been rigorously tested in Death Valley, Califonrnia – what he called the hottest place on earth – where his electric cars beat the heat. He said Tesla car batteries were tested at 67 Celsius and that cars were driven hard in Death Valley at high noon in summer up steep roads.