Tesla Motors expects Europe to play a big part in its bid to reach an annualized production rate of 100,000 vehicles by the end of 2015, up more than threefold from last year. The challenge in Europe is the widely varying degree of support provided by governments to help promote electric vehicles such as Tesla’s Model S. The electric carmaker’s global sales boss, Jerome Guillen, discussed what the company is doing to become a key player in sustainable transportation with Automotive News Europe Correspondent Bruce Gain.
How is Tesla’s approach to Europe different than in the U.S.?
It’s a lot easier to set up shop in the U.S. In Europe we have to comply with a lot of different rules in different countries and create different kinds of networks. There are different languages and other regional things to deal with, which is the main difference. Europe is a more fragmented market than the U.S.