The 5th Nikola Tesla EV Rally came to an end in some style on the streets of Zagreb on June 10, 2018.
All good things come to an end, and after a week of endless Croatian natural beauty and heritage covering 1550 km, four islands, five national parks and 15 towns and cities, the 2018 Nikola Tesla EV Rally arrived on the main Zagreb square of Ban Jelacic. About 30 Teslas were parked up overnight on the main square and proved quite an attraction to the late night revellers in this fast-developing tourist destination.
There was plenty of interest from locals and tourists on Sunday morning, as rally participants welcomed anyone who wanted to learn more about the electric vehicle revolution. When the rally was conceived 4.5 years ago, there were just 5 registered electric cars and 4 charging stations in all Croatia. The Telsa presence on the main square of the capital is a sign of how much progress has been made in such a short space of time.
DJ Yesh thought he was first on the scene as he arrived early to set up the sound equipment for the Sunday morning entertainment and was rather surprised to see the boot of this Tesla open before him and its Norwegian driver emerge from his assembled bed in the back of the car. The cheapest bed in Zagreb that night!
Meet Dream Case, an ingenious addition to Tesla coolness, a self-contained bed in the back of the Tesla S.
Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic was around and posed for photos with rally participants.
And organiser Tina Kolovrat, who must have been exhausted by the end of the rally, continued to give interviews. This year's rally has seen an explosion of media interest, both foreign and national, all good news for the rally organisers, who are now in the process of organising the next Nikola Tesla EV Rally in China. In addition to the media interest, Minister for the Environment and Energy, Tomislav Coric, took part in the rally and promised to help move the development of the electric vehicle revolution in Croatia.
The rally then took a tour of the streets of Zagreb, accompanied by police escort, including around the Mestrovic Pavilion, which until recently had held the exhibition, Nikola Tesla: Mind from the Future.
And so to the final resting place for the 45 vehicles which took part in the 2018 rally - in front of St. Mark's Church and opposite the Croatian Parliament, a symbolic reminder to the authorities of the need to develop Croatia's electric vehicle infrastructure.
A fitting end to a superb week which had shown luxury Croatia at its finest.
Special tribute to the police, who have been an unobtrusive and very efficient constant during the rally, providing escorts to ferries and through towns. Organiser Igor Kolovrat outside Parliament discussing the latest issue.
And special tribute to this man, proving that you don't need a Tesla to take part in the rally or see the best of Croatia with green transport - an impressive 1550 km, all on this electric scooter.
And so to the final awards and presentations, to take place in the spectacular building called Dverce, a building I will confess I had not come across before.
It was quite a place, and just one more amazing thing in Croatia that I was privileged to see thanks to the rally.
The portraits of Zagreb's previous mayors hung on the walls, and DJ Yesh decided to measure up for a future portrait as he weighed up his bid for the next election.
A stylish finish to an outstanding week.
And congratulations to 2018 rally winner, Manuel Strohmeier, flanked by organiser Tina Kolovrat, excellent hostesses Iva and Petra, and a fat Brit.
And, although they only came second overall, Team Belgium won the award of cutest team by quite a margin.
A magnificent week for all concerned, and a superb showcase of Croatia as a luxury tourism destination for the growing electric vehicle traveller.
