Looks like the dealers ended up winning in Connecticut...
The EV Freedom Bill in Connecticut that so many were hoping would pass didn’t. Auto dealerships lobbied hard to fight this bill — and they won. One is even suing Tesla because they want to prevent Tesla from selling to its customers in their town. They are also suing that town.
The clutch of the dealerships also extends to so-called EV advocates, such as Plug In America, which changed its stand from supportive and in favor to neutral after pressure from the dealerships.
This shows not only the power the dealerships have over our elected officials, but also shows that we have so much work to do as advocates.
Companies such as Tesla and Rivian are not allowed to sell directly to their customers in many states, including Connecticut. Instead, EV buyers have to go
out of state to pick up their cars, which is highly inconvenient. The
CT Post reported that the legislation failed yet supporters such as the EV Club of Connecticut, Tesla Owners Club of Connecticut, and other EV supporters are not giving up.
James Chen, Rivian’s vice president of public policy and chief regulatory council (who we recently interviewed in depth on this matter), shared his thoughts to the
CT Post in a statement. “Although the bill did not advance to completion, our broad coalition will continue to fight for consumer choice and the widespread availability of electric vehicles to all Connecticut residents,” said Chen. Chen has been doing this for several years, originally at Tesla. “Limiting sales of electric vehicles to a single method of distribution in (the) state is the wrong choice for the free market and blocks Connecticut from achieving its climate and economic development goals.”