Tesla plans Columbus, Cincinnati showrooms

All-electric roadster’s range is 265 miles

Tesla Motors will open showrooms in Columbus and Cincinnati. Tesla has about 40 stores in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

COLUMBUS — Tesla Motors has chosen the Easton shopping area in Columbus for its first store in Ohio, opening on Dec. 6.

A week later, the company will open its second Ohio store in Cincinnati.

The automaker will sell its all-electric Model S, which has a base price of $62,400 after a federal tax credit.

“We put stores in locations where people are educated and interested about technology, and where there is already a strong market for Model S,” said Alexis Georgeson, a Tesla spokesman.

The Easton store will have seven employees.

“It’s more like an Apple Store than a traditional dealership,” Ms. Georgeson said.

Last year, the automaker opened its first service center in the state in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. That center will remain open.

The company is adding stores in the Midwest and preparing to release a less-expensive model, all part of an attempt to reach more of a mainstream audience, said Michelle Krebs, an auto analyst for Edmunds.com. Most of the initial stores were clustered on the coasts.

“They’re trying to change the game by being a Silicon Valley company instead of a Detroit or Japan company,” she said.

Tesla has about 40 stores in 19 states and the District of Columbia, plus several stores in Canada.

The Model S recently got 99 out of 100 points in a Consumer Reports owner-satisfaction survey, which was the highest score in years. It’s designed to go 265 miles on a single charge.