FCA – Page 984 – I wish I had more to offer

FCA leaks name of new Jeep pickup — and it's not what we expected

Original Article

Lime launches its first car-sharing service in Seattle

Lime It’s true: after a long time focusing on scooters, Lime is ready to delve into four-wheeled transportation. The startup is launching a car-sharing service, LimePod, that will be available in Seattle as of this week. As with scooters, it’ll cost just $1 to unlock a car that you can park wherever you need it… Continue reading Lime launches its first car-sharing service in Seattle

Electric pickup trucks are not in GM’s plans for the next couple decades, says exec

Electric propulsion is rapidly taking over many segments of ground transportation and pickup trucks, which are the biggest profit centers for American automakers, are expected to be next. Yet, the GM executive in charge of global strategy says that electric pickup trucks are not in the company’s plans. Mike Abelson, GM’s vice president of global strategy,… Continue reading Electric pickup trucks are not in GM’s plans for the next couple decades, says exec

Ford CEO Jim Hackett: Trade War Could Wipe Out Most Tax Cut Benefits for Americans

Jim Hackett, president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images Few U.S. companies have been hit harder by the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war with China (and the rest of the world) than Ford. The Dearborn, Mich.-based carmaker, the only one among the American “Big Three” automakers that survived the 2008 Financial… Continue reading Ford CEO Jim Hackett: Trade War Could Wipe Out Most Tax Cut Benefits for Americans

Brazil approves tax breaks for Ford, Fiat, other automakers

The bill also renews incentives for the car industry to have assembly plants in the poorer Northeast region of Brazil. BRASILIA: Brazil‘s President Michel Temer on Thursday signed into law hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives for automakers such as General Motors Co and Volkswagen to produce locally and continue developing engines that run… Continue reading Brazil approves tax breaks for Ford, Fiat, other automakers

Absurd Tesla Obstructionism In Numerous US States

Electric Cars
Electric Car Benefits
Electric Car Sales
Solar Energy Rocks
RSS
Advertise
Privacy Policy

Cars

Published on November 8th, 2018 |

by Matt Pressman

Absurd Tesla Obstructionism In Numerous US States

Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Facebook

November 8th, 2018 by Matt Pressman

Originally published on EVANNEX.

Tesla has many challenges to overcome. According to David Pogue (via Yahoo Finance), “It’s amazing that Tesla even exists. Before Tesla, the most recent successful American auto startup was Chrysler, over 90 years ago. Tesla has survived the first hard part: designing beautiful, fast, high-tech electric cars that a lot of people want and love. Now come all the other hard parts … [including] getting permission to sell them.”

A look at Tesla’s store in Walnut Creek, California (Image: Tesla)

“That’s right. In some states, Tesla is not allowed to open dealerships. I live in one of them: Connecticut. Two years ago, I added myself to the waiting list for the Tesla Model 3. This summer, I finally picked it up — in New York. As I drove it back home over the state border, I wondered why Connecticut would want to hand over all the sales tax I just paid to a rival state,” writes Pogue.

Furthermore, “in a capitalist system, it might seem counterintuitive for a state to prevent a popular company from opening a store. Aren’t new businesses good? Don’t they generate property taxes and sales tax? Don’t they mean more local jobs? Wouldn’t welcoming a big player in electric cars help these states with their environmental goals? (Connecticut’s government, for example, aims to lower emissions to 45% of 2001 levels by 2030.) Don’t we want to support American manufacturing?”

It turns out that these protectionist laws are rooted in a bit of ancient history. Pogue notes, “Back in the 1930s, the car companies established this system so that they could worry about making cars, and the franchises could worry about selling and repairing them. Early on, though, the franchisees lobbied their state governments for protection.” State governments, in turn, passed laws.

Along with Connecticut, Tesla still can’t sell cars direct-to-consumer in other states including Texas (Youtube: ReasonTV)

Fast forward to the present — are laws in certain states still banning Tesla from selling cars? Yes. Through extensive, expensive (and often successful) lobbying efforts, dealer groups are waging war on the electric carmaker. One reason could be that “the vast majority of [dealer] income comes from service … [and dealers] see the electric car as an existential threat to their service business. It’s revenue that these car dealers don’t want to give up,” says Bruce Becker, president of the Electric Vehicle Club of Connecticut.

To that end, “an electric car has no engine and no transmission. It has no spark plugs, fan belts, air filters, timing belts, or cylinder heads. It never needs oil changes, tuneups, or emissions checks. Your brake pads go years without needing replacement, too, since just lifting your foot from the accelerator slows the car down (by recharging the batteries).” It’s no wonder dealers want to boot Tesla from their state. A National Automobile Dealers Association spokesman said dealers make triple the profit from service as they do from selling new cars.

Yet for state officials, banning Tesla “is not a good long-term strategy. It’s not stopping people from buying Teslas — it’s just sending them out of state to do it.” Tesla’s general counsel, Todd Maron notes, “In all the other states in the country, in all the other countries where we operate, we’ve always been able to operate alongside dealers selling other cars. It’s just competition, and it’s completely normal. … We’re not going to give up on this issue, ever. It’s so fundamental to who we are.”

If you live in one of the blue states, you don’t have to cross state lines to buy a Tesla (Graphic credit: David Foster / Yahoo Finance)

After all, “Existing franchise dealers have a fundamental conflict of interest between selling gasoline cars, which constitute the vast majority of their business, and selling the new technology of electric cars,” CEO Elon Musk writes on Tesla’s site. “It is impossible for them to explain the advantages of going electric without simultaneously undermining their traditional [gasoline car] business.”

Where Tesla can sell cars. Map via TMC Staff

Support CleanTechnica’s work by becoming a Member, Supporter, or Ambassador.
Or you can buy a cool t-shirt, cup, baby outfit, bag, or hoodie or make a one-time donation on PayPal.

About the Author

Matt Pressman is all about Tesla. He’s a TSLA investor, pre-ordered the Model 3, and loves driving the family's Model S and Model X company cars. As co-founder of EVANNEX, a family business specializing in aftermarket Tesla accessories, he’s served as a contributor/editor of Electric Vehicle University (EVU) and the Owning Model S and Getting Ready for Model 3 books. He writes daily about Tesla and you can follow his work on the EVANNEX blog.

CleanTechnica Clothing & Cups

Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of our readers.

Stoneacre acquires three more Mill Garage sites

The Stoneacre Group has followed up its takeover of Mill Garages’ Sunderland site by acquiring three further outlets in Harrogate, Newcastle and Stockton. The deal sees Stoneacre adding to its portfolio of Volvo outlets. It now oversees 8 sites. “Everyone at Mill Garages is delighted to have joined forces with the fantastic Stoneacre brand,” said… Continue reading Stoneacre acquires three more Mill Garage sites

Fiat Agrees to Sell Parts Unit Marelli to KKR’s Calsonic Kansei

Fiat Agrees to Sell Parts Unit Marelli to KKR’s Calsonic Kansei BloombergFiat Chrysler has agreed to sell Magneti Marelli to Calsonic Kansei-Bloomberg ReutersFiat Chrysler agrees to sell Magneti Marelli to Calsonic Kansei – sources euronewsFull coverage Go to Source

Commercial Fleet Sales Increased 10.3% in October

Sales into the three fleet segments in October increased 6.8% to 2.29 million. Photo courtesy of Ford, GM, FCA, and Nissan. Sales of vehicles to commercial fleets from eight manufactures increased 10.3% to 54,920 in October compared to a year ago as sales of trucks, vans, and SUVs increased 7% to 48,437 and provided about 89%… Continue reading Commercial Fleet Sales Increased 10.3% in October

Press Release No. 24/2018 – Vehicle registrations in October 2018

Date 02.11.2018 Flensburg, November 2, 2018. In October 2018, 252,682 Passenger cars (Cars) newly registered. That is -7.4 percent less than in the same month last year. The share of private registrations was 36.3 percent (-10.1%). In the first ten months of this year, a total of 2,926,046 new passenger cars registered a plus of… Continue reading Press Release No. 24/2018 – Vehicle registrations in October 2018