Tesla Car Sharing Heads to Las Vegas with Project 100

Project 100, a venture of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project in Las Vegas that will let people access vehicles to commute around the city, has just purchased 100 Tesla Model S sedans to be part of their new transportation sharing fleet.

The Downtown Project was founded by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh to help revitalize Las Vegas. It utilizes a mobile app for people to access either bicycles or automobiles to commute up and down the Vegas strip. The service will require a monthly service fee instead of a pay-per-use type of payment system. Aside from providing a transportation alternative to taxi cabs and public busing, Project 100′s complete fleet with be environmentally friendly, even if all the vehicles are not Tesla vehicles.
In terms of pricing, Project 100 wants the monthly subscription fee to be less than what it would cost to actually pay a monthly payment on a Tesla (or other vehicle), and appear to be targeting a $400/month price point. Compared to purchasing a Tesla, this is obviously a significant cost savings. When you factor into the equation that you do not need to pay for insurance (and presumably electricity either), then the service would be great for someone who regularly needs to drive a car, but perhaps does not go that far or use it that often.

In a city of high rollers, driving around in a Tesla Model S is definitely a cool way to travel. Also, the vehicle brings a certain exclusivity with it. Borrowing a Lamborghini Aventador or a Ferrari 458 in Vegas would require thousands of dollars a day. The Tesla will likely be even more exclusive.
For locals in the area who want to be environmentally friendly, this seems to make a lot of sense, and easy access to the vehicles through a comprehensive mobile app should help the program take off. Since the Downtown Project is backed by the City of Las Vegas, they should also have a regulatory advantage over Uber and ZipCar, who are also rumored to be entering the Vegas market.

Source : GottaBeMobile, by Chad Kirchner, April 7, 2013