Tesla Model S owners are taking a break at new juice bar on Route 17 in Paramus

The new Tesla Motors Showroom and Service Center, above and below, are at 530 Route 17 north in Paramus, the shopping capitol of the Northeast, near Paramus Park Mall. 

The Tesla gallery at New Jersey's biggest mall, Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, will remain open.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Got juice?

For owners of all-electric cars, the availability of juice or electricity is the key to their extended mobility.

Now, Tesla Motors has opened a new showroom and service center on Route 17 in Paramus, where eight Superchargers are available 24 hours a day to Model S and Roadster owners.

A 20-minute charge adds 170 miles to your range, and a full charge takes an hour. 

The cost? It's free. There's no charge to recharge. Get it?

But the opening of the 20,000-square-foot building this month is also big news for prospective Tesla owners, because new cars will be delivered there.

Until the Paramus service center opened, new owners had to travel to Springfield Township, southwest of Newark, to pick up their cars.

Superchargers at the new Paramus service center are available 24 hours a day, unlike the two Superchargers at Garden State Plaza.

Inside the Route 17 showroom.

The entrance to the gallery at Garden State Plaza.

Far from a 'stripper'

The most affordable Model S is the 60, a reference to the size of the battery in kilowatt-hours -- a measure of energy -- but it has the same 380-horsepower electric motor and is mechanically similar to the more expensive 85.

The Model S 60 has an EPA-certified range of 208 miles, longer than I can go without stopping to go to the bathroom or grab a cup of coffee to keep me awake.

The Model S 60 has a base price of $69,900, and is eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit that you apply for when you file your next return.

I've seen blogs and other accounts that claim the tax credit "reduces" the price of the car by $7,500, but that is just media hype and has no basis in reality.

In addition, New Jersey residents who buy a Model S don't have to pay the 7% sales tax.

There is a two- to three-month wait, if you custom order a Model S, which is made in California.

Roadster gets new life

On Friday, the day I visited the new Tesla showroom, Tesla announced a prototype 3.0 Roadster package that company officials say will extend the two-seater's range to 400 miles.

That's a 40% to 50% range improvement over the original Tesla Roadster, which came out in 2008, according to the Tesla blog.

The package includes a battery cell with more energy, an aero kit to reduce drag; and new tires and improved wheel bearings to reduce rolling resistance.

No price tag was announced, but Tesla was quick to note the 3.0 package "applies what we've learned in Model S ... and no new Model S battery pack or major range upgrade is expected in the near term."

Tesla Motors Showroom-Service Center, 530 Route 17 north, Paramus; 201-225-2544. Showroom open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Sundays.