Press release
His Royal Highness Prince Albert II, who takes a very serious interest in the protection of the environment, has promoted the use of electric vehicles in Monaco for many years. In particular, he invited his government to introduce a premium covering up to 30% of the purchase price of such vehicles and to establish partnerships with carmakers as part of a zero-emission mobility project.
On Saturday 26 March 2010, he welcomed the Odyssey of Pioneers in the Courtyard of the Prince's Palace before taking the wheel of the TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster in order to put its engineering to the test in the streets of the Principality.
Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of TAG Heuer, said how honoured he was to be received by H.R.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, who had allowed the zero-emission car to be driven along the legendary Monaco Grand Prix circuit. He declared that the occasion added a prestigious dimension to the World Tour and proved that the Odyssey was a project that united all those who feel involved in the future of our planet.
After a stop in Basel, where Leonardo DiCaprio came to lend support, the roadster, which already has 1050 km on the clock, followed the route of the 4th Monte Carlo Rally for Alternative Vehicles organised by Automobile Club de Monaco. This meant it reached the Principality this weekend, from Annecy, and will go on to Milan.
TAG Heuer and Tesla Motors, in order to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Swiss watch manufacturer, have taken up a crazy challenge : the first world tour by an electric vehicle, the “Odyssey of Pioneers”. Tesla Motors manufactures and markets the most innovative and boldest of cars on the market today. TAG Heuer is the avant-garde brand of Swiss watchmaking that marries technology with design, with a history of close associations with motor racing. That TAG Heuer and Tesla Motors should join together in this enterprise was therefore absolutely natural.
Tesla created a unique GT model in the TAG Heuer colours that is 100% electric.
Having left Geneva on 15 March, the roadster will arrive in Paris on 30 September, after 37.000 kilometres around the globe. At each of the stops (Milan, Budapest, Warsaw, Moscow, New Delhi, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and London), it will be on display alongside 18 exceptional timekeepers that are evidence of TAG Heuer's ability to set milestones in the history of Swiss Watchmaking. The most recent model, the TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Pendulum - presented last week at the Basel Fair - will even journey on board the roadster. The first mechanical movement without a hairspring will therefore be travelling with the first GT that is petrol-free. At the wheel will be celebrities committed to sustainable development.
