When Tesla Motors received a cash infusion from Daimler for less than 10% of their shares, one of their objectives was to begin opening more stores in key markets around the world.  Since then, they have opened stores in Colorado, Monaco, Miami and now Chicago.

Per the press release linked below, Tesla’s Chicago store, located at 1053 W Grand Ave., is also the newest regional hub for Tesla’s pioneering mobile service squad. Professional technicians known as Tesla Rangers will travel to customers’ homes and perform annual inspections, firmware upgrades and other services. Tesla uniquely offers “house calls” so all customers can enjoy service from their home or office.  “With over 50 Roadster owners in the area, Chicago is an important market and strategic base for Tesla,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

An added incentive for Tesla Motors, was that the City of Chicago, in collaboration with Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition and Gas Technology Institute, was a recipient of a US Department of Energy 2009 Clean Cities Petroleum Reduction Technologies grant. The award aims to reduce vehicle emissions, displace 3.08 million gasoline gallon equivalents of petroleum every year, deploy 554 alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles and install 149 alternative-fuel fueling and electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Chicago region.  Initiatives like these help localities transition to alternative fuel vehicles like BEV's, whose sales would languish without the necessary infrastructure to make them practical.

[Source: Press Release]