Indiana Moves Forward On GM-Written Bill To Make Tesla Sales Illegal

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Originally published on EV Obsession.

In a situation that’ll seem downright ridiculous to many, it appears that the state of Indiana is seriously considering locking Tesla out of the state — with a real possibility that Tesla will be prohibited from holding a dealer license in the state after 2017 ends.

The Indiana Senate Committee on Commerce & Technology recently held a hearing on the bill in question — HB1254/Amendment 3, authored by GM — and will be holding a follow-up meeting on Thursday, February 25th, at the Capitol building (Room 233 of the Capitol Building, 200 West Washington St).

Indiana flag
Liberty?


 

Here’s more on the subject via a topic started by “bjwModelS” on the Tesla Motors Club forum:

Existing law allows ANY manufacturer to apply for a dealer license without the use of independent franchised dealers. Despite having a lawfully granted license to sell Tesla vehicles directly since 2014 at the Fashion Mall at Keystone; despite contributing over $42M to the state through the purchase of parts and components from Indiana suppliers; and despite plans underway to construct a 26,000 square foot Tesla Service facility that will employ approximately a dozen Indiana residents and serve our customers, GM is pushing the Senate Committee to shut out Tesla.

Here’s how you can help: please contact your local Senator – and if you live in one of the districts covered by any of the following Committee members, we urge you to reach out and let them know they should not shut out Tesla. You can find your Indiana legislators here:

Chairman Buck: Senator.Buck@iga.in.gov , (317) 232-9466
Senator Merritt: Senator.Merritt@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9533
Senator Delph: Senator.Delph@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9541
Senator Head: Senator.Head@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9488
Senator Houchin: s47@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9814
Senator Leising: Senator.Leising@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9493
Senator Tomes: Senator.Tomes@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9414
Senator Breaux: s34@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9534
Senator Broden: s10@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9849
Senator Randolph: s2@iga.in.gov, (317) 232-9432

Thank you for your support and willingness to help Tesla stay and grow in Indiana. As always, when communicating with legislators, please be polite and respectful. Personal attacks should be absolutely avoided, as they will only hurt our cause!

I have to really wonder about decisions such as these. Don’t those involved in the bill’s approval realize that they’re harming their own state? And that Tesla will very likely continue growing rapidly even without Indiana? Tesla’s home state of California is entirely on its own one of the largest economies in the world… locking the company out of a state like Indiana is likely going to hurt the local economy there more than it is going to impact Tesla’s prospects.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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