With a starting price around $71,000, even with a generous $7,500 Federal tax rebate the Tesla Model S is about twice the cost of the average new car in America. To put it bluntly, most people can’t afford a Model S even on two salaries…but fear not Tesla fans, there is another way.
The Illinois Solar Energy Association is raffling off a 60 kWh Tesla Model S to benefit ISEA’s work towards advancing renewable energy, specifically solar power (duh). Just 2,000 tickets will be sold at $100 a pop (or 4 tickets for $300), so while it still isn’t cheap, it’s a lot more palatable than the $71,000 MSRP of a base Model S. ISEA is also throwing in a Bosch Level 2 home charger for the winner of the Model S, and after reading the rules and regulations it is definitely a base Model S; no leather interior, no air ride suspension, and no access to the Supercharger network (GASP!), a gross oversight if you ask me.
The winner also has the option of taking a $60,000 cash prize, and then perhaps buying a Model S of their own choosing. As long as 1,600 people buy tickets, the raffle is on; otherwise it converts into a 50/50 raffle, which could still send the winner home with enough cash to buy a Model S.
Of course these are problems only the winner has to worry about, and they’re problems we’d be happy to have. Is $100 worth the small chance you might put a Model S in your driveway?