Oklahoma’s SB 512 Wants To Shut Tesla Down & Stop OTA Updates

Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 512 (SB 512) would outlaw Tesla and other EV manufacturers from servicing customers in the state. It’s currently being considered by the state’s House of Representatives. The new legislation passed out of committee will be voted on by the full House of Representatives. If this bill becomes law, Tesla would have to close its existing locations in Oklahoma, and Tesla would not be able to offer over-the-air updates to Tesla owners living in Oklahoma.

Tesla pointed out that the State of Oklahoma needs to focus on increasing revenue and jobs in the state instead of stifling competition and limiting consumer choice. If you’re a Tesla owner in Oklahoma, it would be wise to contact your state representative and governor.

As a note, recall that Tesla chose Texas over Oklahoma to build its newest gigafactory after the finalists were narrowed down to Austin and Tulsa. In a letter from Tesla shared by Sawyer Merritt, Tesla gave a couple of updates about the previous bill, HB 3994.

HB 3994 was stopped, but this isn’t preventing such bills from popping up again. Tesla added that although the bill was stopped, the same language was amended to another bill. HB 3994 was introduced by Representative Mike Dobrinski, who was the owner and dealer of Dobrinski of Kingfisher.

Its not new that dealerships and their paid politicians are preventing Tesla and other EV manufacturers from servicing their customers. However, these bills clearly do not have the best interests of the consumers at heart.

Dealers across America seem to have been emboldened by their massive profits, and lobbying politicians to try to block or outlaw Tesla seems to be increasing. I might be wrong, but if it looks like a cat, meows like a cat, and even purrs like one, it’s probably a cat.

The increase in these anti-EV bills like SB 512 should be alarming. Dealerships aren’t just harming consumers and the competition, but they are also standing in the way of clean energy by lobbying against manufacturers that produce clean energy vehicles from selling directly to customers.