Crowne Plaza Canberra celebrated the arrival of its first guest with an electric car and the inaugural use of its newly-installed electric car recharge station on September 15.

Among the first hotels in the world to offer an electric car charging facility, Crowne Plaza Canberra was the final destination on a historic non-stop drive of the new electric Tesla Roadster sports car.

Crowne Plaza Canberra general manager Matt Young and finance director Sebastian Wilson
with the Tesla Roadster – the first electric car to be recharged at the hotel.

Taken by Tesla Motors’ general manager Australia, Rudi Tuisk, the 290km Sydney-to-Canberra journey marked the first time an electric car had been driven between two Australian capital cities without recharging en-route.

Rudi was greeted on arrival at the Crowne Plaza Canberra by a crowd of government officials, media and photographers, who gathered in the hotel’s driveway to mark the historic occasion.

The electric car, which uses lithium ion battery technology, was then sent to the hotel’s new recharge bay in the underground car park.

Both Rudi and the Roadster will stay at the Crowne Plaza Canberra while in town, with the car being exhibited at the 2010 Canberra Electric Vehicle Festival on Saturday September 18.

The first all-electric mass-produced car to hit Australia’s shores, the Tesla Roadster goes from 0km to 100km in 3.7 seconds and retails at around $225,000.