Connecticut Dealership Sues Tesla

In June, Hoffman Auto Group of East Hartford, Connecticut, sued Tesla, the Town of East Hartford, and the development company InSite to try to prevent Tesla from opening a service center in the area. Today, Hoffman Auto doubled down on that lawsuit, claiming that Tesla “seeks to open up a business in East Hartford, Connecticut in close proximity to the plaintiff’s dealerships for the sale of new automobiles and pre-owned vehicles and service, in violation of Connecticut law.”

The lawsuit claims that the permit that Tesla has will allow it to open a facility and do business with its customers — allowing Tesla to compete directly with Hoffman Auto Group. The dealership also claimed to sell electric cars “in virtually all of its dealerships,” and claimed that most of the dealers in and around the State of Connecticut do too.

If the claim that virtually every dealer is selling EVs is true, then I think that this is a good thing for EVs in general — we need more of them being sold. However, suing Tesla because you think they are competition seems like a waste of money, time, and energy. It shows that the priority is preventing Tesla from being in business rather than selling EVs. What are your thoughts?

Related previous stories: “Tesla Service Center Approved In East Hartford, Connecticut” and “Rivian Shows Up To Support EV Owners Fighting For EV Freedom In Connecticut.” And more here. We’ve also conducted a podcast interview with Rivian’s (and previously Tesla’s) James Chen about this matter: