By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Officials from the Hays Applebee’s, Tesla Motors and the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of the first Tesla Supercharger site at an Applebee’s Friday morning.

Jim Stevens, president of JS Ventures, which owns the Hays Applebee’s, traveled to Hays from Wichita to celebrate the event and said he is happy Tesla approached JSV about the partnership.

“It think this is a part of history being made, and I feel so good to be a part of it,” Stevens said. “I think these Tesla cars … are going to revolutionize the automobile industry, and I would not be surprised that within the next 25 to 30 years there will be all electric cars.”

Stephen Martinique, Denver sales manager from Tesla Motors, was also at the ribbon-cutting event and said the supercharger in Hays is one of many going up across Interstate 70 and the country.

“It is exciting. It is part of a big plan to perpetuate our goal to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transportation. It is connecting the country in a way that has not been done in decades,” Martinique said.

Martinique said Tesla cars are custom-made and delivered “straight to your house,” with a price-tag starting at $69,000.

However, Martinique said Tesla will be rolling out a smaller, more affordable car, in 2016-17 which will cost around $35,000, a plan Martinique said Tesla  has “always strived for.”

Accordingly, on June 12, Tesla announced an “unprecedented” patent giveaway in which other electric car manufacturers will be able to utilize the Tesla superchargers in the near future.

Martinique said Tesla ends up paying for itself as it requires no oil changes or gas — just electricity and tire changes.

Martinique said the car can be charged at home overnight, “like a cellphone,” but the supercharging stations will charge a Tesla in less than 30 minutes — and Tesla pays the bill.

Martinique gave several on-lookers a drive in the Tesla Model S and said the Tesla dispels the myth that electric cars are “anything but slow and boring.”

Martinique proved the point by showing the Tesla has a “416 horsepower’ by going from 20 to 45 mph in a split second as onlookers went on a test drive.

Nate Musick, Hays, said the ride was “awesome — time to start saving those pennies.”

“And the planet,” added Martinique.