Ever Wanted to Drive a Tesla?

One of the fastest, and coolest, cars on the market just got dropped off at the former Greyhound Bus station. Tesla Motors, world-renowned for its high-end, all-electric Roadster, markets in an idiosyncratic way by foregoing dealerships in favor of storefronts in malls and, now, mobile stores. The company chose Santa Barbara as its first container location, no doubt because many residents and visitors fit Tesla’s market profile of urban, tech-savvy, green-friendly wealthy early adopters.

For about a month, the Tesla mobile store at 32 West Carrillo Street is showing off the Model S, which won Car and Driver “Car of the 21st Century” accolades for design and performance. The Model S costs around $70,000 for starters, and the various models have ranges of roughly 250 miles on a charge. Once Tesla’s trucked-in store leaves for its next destination, which is the Hamptons, the next chance to test drive one is the end of summer when the store and service department on Hitchcock Road is scheduled to open.