Legislation that would’ve allowed the automaker to open up three new retails in the state passed easily in the House of Representatives in May, but the Senate never took up the bill.
The government relations manager for the California-based company says Tesla wants the General Assembly to have another go at the proposal during the upcoming special legislative session, reports the Associated Press. If nothing happens soon, he said Tesla plans to revisit the bill next year.
“We’ll still have a very compelling argument to come and be regulated and fairly compete in the state,” Will Nicholas told the AP.
Tesla worked out a compromise with the Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association for the bill that passed the House, as the group originally didn’t want the state law that prohibits direct sales to be changed.
The legislation itself didn’t mention Tesla by name but it did require new stores to comply with existing consumer protections mandated by the Departments of Motor Vehicles and Consumer Protection.
The AP asked Nicholas if Tesla would go with the same language next year, as well as sticking to that three-store limit. He says the company will probably change things up based on the company’s level of business in Connecticut.
“We would have been a bit stifled with the current concessions that we made,” he said.
Tesla recently suffered a similar blow in Texas, where the company will have to wait up to two years for the state’s next legislative session before it can get the chance to sell cars directly in that state.
For now, Connecticut customers can head over the border to either New York or Massachusetts, where Tesla operates retail stores.
Electric carmaker Tesla not giving up on Connecticut stores [Associated Press]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist