Dubai: Elon Musk, the celebrity CEO of electric carmaker Tesla, is set to descend upon Dubai for the company’s launch event on Monday, February 13.
Ordinary folks, however, might find it a challenge to get a selfie with one of the most important visionaries of the 21st century, and whose companies are reshaping both the transportation and energy sectors.
The reason: The Dubai event is by-invitation only and is set at the Armani Hotel at the Burj Khalifa.
Electrek: The #UAE is only one of many new markets in which Tesla plans to expand in 2017 ahead of the launch of the Model 3 pic.twitter.com/U0nKmGsDBP— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 7, 2017
Still, Tesla’s much-anticipated rollout in oil-rich UAE, a country that has made great strides in weaning itself away from fossil fuel, could spark a much wider adoption of electric vehicles in the Middle East.
Tesla already has a dealership in Jordan, where a network of “superchargers” had been set up, and where it’s competing with BMW’s all-electric i3 compact and i8 sports cars, launched in Amman in 2014.
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There’s no question about end-users’ interest in sporty all-electric vehicles in the UAE, even if petrol here is relatively inexpensive.
Tesla fans and owners have recently formed an informal group to encourage each other and exchange experiences, even before the actual dealership opened its doors for business in the country.
Many took the trouble to import their Teslas directly from the US or Europe. Musk’s Dubai visit marks the company’s direct foray into the Gulf.
One evidence Tesla is serious about forming its Dubai team is that the company had already initiated recruitment for a service advisor, service manager and service technician. It's not clear whether or not Musk would do the job interviews for potential candidates here, too.
But there’s another chance to meet Musk in Dubai — a day earlier.
On February 12, Sunday, Musk is set to speak at the fifth edition of the World Government Summit (WGS).
The UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, Mohammed Al Gergawi, has confirmed his attendance at the event.
"For the first time in the region,” Al Gergawi told the local media, “we will host Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX and one of the most important visionaries of the 21st century.”
SpaceX counts the US government, the International Space Station and commercial satellite manufacturers as some of its customers.
Musk is also the brains behind the “Gigafactory”, an enormous lithium-ion battery factory in Nevada, and SolarCity, a company that has introduced solar roof tiles.
Tesla vehicles come at a huge pricetag: a 2016 Tesla Model S 70 starts at $71,200. But the company is ramping up production for its upcoming Model 3 mass-market sedan targeting an annual production of 500,000 units by 2018.
The volume-seeker electric car has a pricetag of $35,000 (Dh128,450) and an Environment Protection Agency-rated range of 215 miles.
Due out later this year, Tesla already booked more than 400,000 pre-orders for the Model 3 from customers who deposited $1,000 each for the right to stay on the queue.
