First Tesla dealership in New Hampshire in the works in Londonderry

Jonathan Phelps, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read

May 12—The first Tesla dealership and service center in New Hampshire is under construction in Londonderry.

The nearly 50,200-square-foot building at 36 Industrial Drive will contain offices, a sales area and service bays. Unlike most dealerships, this will open in an industrial area near the airport that was formerly used as a sand and gravel operation.

The location came about after Tesla dropped plans to open on South River Road in Bedford. Those plans were approved in 2022.

Jim Petropulos of Hayner/Swanson Inc., who represented Tesla, said the location was selected to provide a central location for Tesla owners across the state. The plans call for eight charging stations for vehicles being serviced.

Most of the Teslas are ordered online and picked up by customers on site, but the building will include a small showroom. The work includes, but is not limited to, tire replacement, tire balancing, alignment, minor body work and battery replacement, according to Planning Board meeting minutes.

Tesla plans to service about 75 vehicles per business day and employ about 35 people. The traffic impact is expected to be minimal, according to the minutes. The service center is only for Tesla vehicles so won't require waste gas and oil removal.

Old batteries are shipped off site, according to the project team.

The goal is to be open by the end of the year.

A Tesla sales gallery is set to open at the Portsmouth Green shopping center on Lafayette Road next to McKinnon's Supermarket. The address is 2454 Lafayette Road.

The 3,230-square-foot space will only have room for two or three models indoors and two parked outside for test drives.

The gallery is "for potential customers to learn more about the vehicles, educate them on the vehicles' features, and ultimately purchase a vehicle from this location," according to the application with the Planning Department.