Tesla Opens Shop For Rentals At Mall Of America

As Elon Musk faces revenue targets that start at $100 billion, Tesla Motors’ vehicles are now available for rent at the Mall Of America, industry news source Chain Store Age reported.

The business, which is called TREVLS, opened at the Mall of America in Bloomington. Rentals are not cheap: TREVLS is charging daily rates of $195 for the compact model S 60D, $235 for the S 85D full-size sedan and $350 for the X 90D SUV.

TREVLS opens its doors as the city gears up for the Feb. 4 Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium. When football fans do arrive in Minnesota, they can take advantage of cheaper rentals by taking a drive in Teslas for as short a time period as an hour.

“We’re thrilled that our first location is within Mall of America, which allows us to reach more drivers switching to electric vehicles,” John Marino, founder and CEO of TREVLS, told Chain Store Age.

The announcement comes as Tesla moves beyond its signature electric luxury cars to other business lines, such as electric trucks. Walmart jumped onto Tesla’s electric tractor-trailer truck bandwagon last year with an announcement that it plans to test-run the recently previewed, soon-to-be-released vehicles. Five of the pre-ordered vehicles will service Walmart U.S.; 10 will service Walmart in Canada.

“We have a long history of testing new technology — including alternative fuel trucks — and we are excited to be among the first to pilot this new heavy-duty electric vehicle,” the company said in a statement to CNBC at the time. “We believe we can learn how this technology performs within our supply chain, as well as how it could help us meet some of our long-term sustainability goals, such as lowering emissions.”

The expansion out of personal electric cars into the commercial arena was kicked off with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s news that the new truck can run 500 miles on a single charge and is electronically connected with a fleet management system.