***UPDATED***
It’s official folks. Live blogged from TransportEvolved from the floor of the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission meeting, you will no longer be able to buy a Tesla in the state of New Jersey starting April 1st. The proposal was approved without public comment.
*** Original Post***
Announced this morning on Tesla’s Blog, New Jersey consumers interested in shopping electric vehicles might not be able to peruse Tesla’s offerings if a proposal being snuck into the state legislature passes today.
48 states currently have limitations or outright bans on manufacturers selling cars directly to consumers. Tesla was working with the Christie administration to expand retail operations in the state, and through previous negotiations had received two retail licenses. It was agreed that Tesla and the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers would hold an open session in the NJ legislature to address the situation. That plan seems to have been discarded.
Proposal PRN2013-138 would require some form of middle man in auto sales, and would undo the current retail licenses Tesla has already acquired. Instead of a public forum to discuss, the proposal is being voted on today at 2pm EDT in Trenton.
It’s another frustrating example of how the game is played behind the scenes through lobbying efforts on behalf of organizations like NJ CAR, and it certainly doesn’t shine the most positive light on Christie’s administration, which has had to field a couple embarrassing political hot potatoes of late.
You can read the full Tesla blog post below.
