EV owners across all brands recently showed up in the Connecticut State Capital to show their support for Senate Bill 214. Paul Braren, writer at TinkerTry, was invited and he shared his perspective in a recent post with several photos. Paul noted that Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid were all represented at the event and there were several e-bikes and even an electric school bus at the capitol.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is always sharing that we need to be hopeful about the future and Paul said that hope for the future is a powerful thing. He added that the feeling of hope was pervasive during the electrification-themed events held at the state capitol in Hartford, Connecticut.
Paul volunteered for some booth duty at the e-bike event and noted there were families with children who were curious about EVs. He added that at least one journalist and one legislator were able to ride in an EV for the first time.
“At the EV event featuring representatives from Tesla (Model 3), Rivian (R1T), and Lucid Motors (Lucid Air with >500 miles of range), I met a local news cameraman who was 6′ 6″ tall was keen on determining whether he could actually fit in the world’s first electric pickup truck, the mid-sized Rivian R1T. In short, yes, although a little of his usual head-ducking to get in was required. Plenty of headroom once seated.”
Unfortunately, it’s not legal for any of the EVs that Paul saw to be sold directly to customers in his state. This is the case across many states, as outdated dealership laws and the dealers that lobby for them continue to have a chokehold on lawmakers.
SB 214 was raised in the Transportation Committee and would amend the current law to allow EV-exclusive manufacturers without an existing dealer franchise (think Tesla or Rivian) to open stores and sell directly to consumers.
If this bill is passed and becomes law, Tesla could open that service center that was recently denied in East Hartford due to the powerful lobbying of local dealerships.
Featured photo credit: Paul Braren of TinkerTry; used with permission.
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