Ribbon Cutting, Featuring Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons

With approximately 20,000 registered Teslas in CT and only one service center, this additional coverage will be welcomed by Tesla owners.

The new service center, located at 106 Commerce Road in Stamford, near the border with Old Greenwich, is a service and leasing center like the facility in Milford. There is a showroom. Leasing paperwork can be completed. And test drives can be arranged. There can be no discussion of costs, financing or anything else that falls under the label of “sales,” as the franchise laws prohibit this and prevent Tesla from opening stores.

For leased vehicles, even though the paperwork can be completed in Stamford or Milford, vehicle delivery must occur at Mohegan Sun or Mt. Kisco, NY. (Where the delivery occurs is generally not up to the customer.) For customers leasing or purchasing a car from inventory, a lot of that inventory locally is stored at Mt. Kisco. The delivery experience between the two locales differs in that a vehicle delivered at Mohegan Sun will be registered in CT, whereas a Mt. Kisco delivery will come with a temporary NY registration and temp plates. Tesla will then transfer the registration to CT.

A welcome announcement came from Mayor Simmons when she revealed that the city will be converting its fleet to electric. And the project to install 12 dual-port, level 2 chargers in Government Center Garage will be moving forward.

As welcome as this is, we (and Tesla) know that the greater Hartford area is the biggest remaining need. The facility under construction in Springfield, MA, expected to open next year, will partially help.

Under Construction – Photo above is a selfie from YouTuber Out of Spec Dave, taken when he visited the new service facility last month before it was completed. Used with permission.

Opening Set for August 19th

The new Tesla service location in Stamford is set for a soft open on August 19th, with the official opening to follow in September. An announcement in April from Royal Properties indicated that Tesla had leased a 42,000 square foot location at 106 Commerce Road in Stamford. It is off I-95, exit 6, near the border of Old Greenwich. It is in a commercial district with lots of nearby shops and restaurants.

There will be a limited number of appointments booked in August while the facility ramps up over the course of the next month. Tesla still has its other CT service center in Milford. Stamford is in Fairfield County, which is home to 39% of all EVs in the state. Teslas make up 44% of all the EVs and 66% of all the battery electric vehicles in Fairfield County.

Of course, we all know there is a need for a service center upstate and Tesla was thwarted when trying to build in East Hartford and South Windsor.

Service, Not Sales

It can’t be said enough. This is a service center only. Connecticut’s particular flavor of free-market capitalism forbids Tesla and other EV manufacturers that don’t sell through dealerships from opening stores (unless you happen to be located on tribal land, which is not subject to the state franchise laws).

There will be a formal reception to inaugurate the new facility. Stay tuned.

Update – Opening postponed to August 26th.