Ever thought of a Tesla Model S as a bus? It can be, sort of, thanks to a new shuttle service calling itself Tesloop, which wants to offer "Sustainable Travel for Everyone." The idea is that instead of driving yourself or flying, people will want to ride in electric vehicle comfort for a few hours between cities. Currently, the service only operates between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but the website says that trips to Palm Springs, San Diego, and Santa Barbara are "coming soon."
The cost for a ride currently costs $85 one-way, and you might be sharing your multi-hour ride with other passengers, but there's no discount if you do. Tesloop says that the, "experience is similar to an airline where passengers share a cabin" and that the, "safe and sustainable" trip is, "more pleasant and productive than flying." Instead of drivers, the company calls the people who drive the cars "pilots," emphasizing the theme.
If this all sounds a bit out there, well, it turns out the company was started by a high school student, who figured it makes more sense to have Tesla EVs ferrying people around (and refueling for free at Superchargers) rather than sitting in people's driveways. Tesloop says that it's using the Supercharger network exactly as it was intended to be used, and at the very least, we'll soon has some good test vehicles to see what regular Supercharging does to a Model S. Apparently, during Tesloop's first week of service over the summer, it moved 40 people between LA and Vegas.
You can get a bit more of a feel for Tesloop by watching the videos above and below.
TESLOOP - First Passenger Pilot from Tesloop on Vimeo.
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