Friday, March 29, 2024

Tesla Gallery and Charging Stations Sparking Interest in Southlake Town Square

Southlake Town Square is charged and ready to welcome Tesla enthusiasts. The new Tesla gallery, a show room for the electric car manufacturer, opened on September 23 in a roughly 4,500 square foot space across from the Apple Store. A 10-spot Supercharger station will open later this fall in the west parking lot near Carroll Avenue.

Southlake makes the eighth gallery location in Texas for the California-based automaker, which also has more than 100 gallery and store locations across the country. According to a Tesla spokesperson, the new gallery opening will better serve the increased interest in Tesla vehicles in the region, further connecting Texas communities to the company’s mission of a sustainable energy future.

Although franchise dealer laws restrict Tesla from selling directly to buyers in Texas, gallery visitors can still learn about Tesla’s electric vehicles, visit with highly knowledgeable on-site staff, and can even enjoy test drives of the Model S and Model X to understand the many benefits of Tesla ownership. Prospective buyers can order a vehicle online or talk on the phone with Tesla employees in California.

According to Tesla Model S owner and Southlake resident Rick Bollar, there are several reasons for owning a Tesla—conservation and energy security, air quality, not being dependent on gas fuel, and performance (without engine noise)—all included with a 250-mile range.

“This range lets us do anything we want in the metroplex without considering ‘range anxiety.’ I often drive from Southlake to Dallas to Fort Worth to Southlake, and still have enough charge left to do the same drive a second time,” stated Bollar.

After acquiring his second Model S in Seattle, Bollar even turned the experience into a cross-country vacation through western Canada and the United States, making use of Tesla’s network of Superchargers, before returning to Texas.

Southlake Town Square currently has six public chargers for all electric vehicles, but will soon join the network of Tesla Supercharger stations with 10 Tesla-installed chargers. Texas residents currently have access to 29 Supercharger stations in the state, most placed along main highways. According to Tesla, the Supercharger Network is designed to be the fastest, most convenient, and extensive charging network in the world.

Aside from serving local and regional Tesla owners, the Southlake Supercharger station will also serve long-distance travelers who may not have otherwise stopped in Southlake, which is one of few locations in Texas to offer attractions within walking distance from chargers.

“Southlake is the perfect destination for visitors to stop and enjoy shopping, dining and entertainment while charging their vehicles. Tesla owners can even drop by the gallery to visit with staff about new software updates for their cars,” said City of Southlake Senior Marketing Manager Jill Lind.

Call A Ride Southlake Hosts Fundraiser October 7 at Fish City Grill

Fish City Grill 2014 Save the Date (1)

Click to enlarge flyer.

Call A Ride of Southlake, Inc. (CARS) will host its 4th Annual First Tuesday Benefit at Fish City Grill Southlake on October 7, 11:00am to 9:00pm. Fish City Grill will donate 15 percent of all sales – including lunch, dinner, to-go orders and catering – during the October 7 fundraiser.

“Enjoy a great meal knowing that 15 percent of the purchase will be going towards supporting CARS and their efforts to provide transportation for our local senior citizens and disabled adults,” said Dave Garner, co-owner of Fish City Grill and local resident.

CARS is a volunteer organization which provides vital transportation for medical appointments and other approved purposes in and around Southlake. Board members will be in attendance at this event and will be available to provide further information about the nonprofit which has been providing service since 2000.

For more information, call (817) 798-4022 or go to  www.CallARideSouthlake.org.

C.A.R.S Launches Website to Recruit Drivers for Senior Transportation Service

For most Southlake residents, a trip to the grocery store or going to a doctor appointment may not be a favorite activity, but do not require much effort or forethought. However, for the city’s senior residents and disabled adult citizens, such routine tasks can be daunting. Oftentimes, the challenge starts with simply figuring out how to get there and back.

For this reason, Call A Ride Southlake (CARS) was established in 2000 to provide free, non-emergency transportation to Southlake seniors and disabled adult citizens for medical, dental, social, business, shopping and personal needs. Since that time, CARS has provided thousands of rides to hundreds of qualified residents, helping to encourage local senior citizens to be more independent and active.

Staffed with volunteer drivers, CARS operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will transport within a 25 mile radius of Southlake (including Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas) for most medical purposes, and within a seven mile radius of Southlake for other appointments.

According to CARS volunteer Lisa Adam, the non-profit organization has been hosting fundraisers with local businesses to assist it marketing efforts. Through August 23, CARS is featured on Our Hometown Deal, which donates a percentage of each sale.

“Our biggest priority right now is to get our name out there, both to increase awareness of  our services and to recruit volunteer drivers. We want people to know we’re here and ready to help, but we need to grow our volunteer base before we grow our service,” said Adam, noting CARS has provided nearly 1200 trips this year.

To help accomplish this, CARS recently took its marketing efforts online with the launch of its first website, www.CallaRideSouthlake.org, and a Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/CallaRideSouthlake. Both forums provide information for drivers and riders, along with testimonials and how-to volunteer or make a tax deductible donation.

Senior citizens and disabled adult persons who need or desire to utilize the CARS program must complete an application and interview. For a qualified rider to utilize the transportation program, riders must call CARS at least 72 hours in advance. A dispatcher will contact a volunteer driver to arrange transportation. The driver will then contact the rider to confirm the destination and pick-up time requested.

Likewise, all volunteer drivers must complete an application form and have an exemplary driving record. Volunteer drivers provide and maintain their own vehicles to participate in this program. If a rider has a special handling need such as a wheelchair, a ramp-equipped van is available in the CARS fleet. And while users must reside in Southlake, drivers may live in other communities.

For more information about CARS, call 817-798-4022 or visit our website.