On Friday, Tesla Motors has opened a new Sales, Service, and Charging Center in Highland Park, IL. Located at 1200 Old Skokie Rd. The location is highly visible from the heavily traveled Hwy 41, a main artery for Chicagoland commuters. No doubt the new signage will stir a little bit of envy with every rush hour.
The new location features a well-appointed reception area complete with design studio where perspective buyers can get their hands on a showroom Model S and use computer simulations to build their own car.
In the rear of the building is the delivery center where new owners will pick up their cars. Sales Representatives painted the picture of new owners driving off to applause and waves from the entire staff on hand. With 5 charging ports along the walls, every new car will come completely charged and ready to go.
The building also has a service area with 5 bays. Though the new location is not yet fully operational, it is easy to imagine Teslas suspended in mid air with Service Technicians scurrying about. Each bay hosts its own charging port.
But today, the new location is still receiving finishing paint touch-ups. The Parts department is receiving shipments to stock the shelves, and the clean-up crews are ensuring everything is spotless.
The informal grand opening gathering was attended by current Tesla owners from the Chicagoland and Milwaukee areas. They swapped stories as the new Sales Associates provided tours and highlighted Tesla technology. Throughout the day, the occasional curious gawker stopped in along with some serious buyers looking to secure their next car. Delivery for an order placed today, I was told, would be in March.
In Illinois, EV owners are eligible for up to $4,000 in tax incentives in addition to Federal incentives. Additionally, Illinois provides an infrastructure development incentive up to $3,000 for installing a Level-2 charging station in a primary residence.
All high-speed charging ports at the Highland Park location are free to all Tesla owners. This helps build Tesla’s charging point network in the Midwest. Specifically, in the Milwaukee / Chicago / Indianapolis corridor.
Editor's note: Our thanks to Tony for making an extra effort and checking out Tesla's newest showroom and filing this timely report!