I posted the following a few hours ago on the Tesla Model S Owners Club Facebook page and am now posting it here to see how many of you would like to help in this endeavor.
I'm in the process of drafting an email to my Alabama state legislators and would appreciate any help you have to give. Alabama, as we all know, is not terribly progressive and current law states that "it is an unfair and deceptive trade practice for a manufacturer of motor vehicles to make direct sales or leases of new motor vehicles to the public in Alabama." I am not originally from AL and have only been here for 2.5 years, so I don't know what thought process legislators had (other than being paid by lobbyists?) when this decision was made.
A Senate Bill was introduced in late 2016 which read (in part) "This bill would allow a manufacturer of alternative fuel motor vehicles to sell and lease its vehicles directly to the public." It was introduced and immediately died in August.
My intention is to draft a well thought/written email which I will send to every state legislator once a week until I get an appropriate response (that may be excessive, I know). Has anyone else done this in their equally backward state?? Did it have any effect? What needs to be included/articulated for it to make a difference? All help will be sincerely appreciated (except the smart comments about where I live, I had to go where the money was...) please comment or PM me! Thank you for your time!!
I have since sent an email to Tesla asking for talking points, any reps who have been helpful, etc. Once I have a product I will post it here so you may modify it to your liking and send it to your representatives if you wish. I figure it will only cost me my time, but potentially save me a ton of time if the law is eventually changed. The Brentwood service center is much closer to me than the long drive a lot of you have to Atlanta, or wherever is closest, but I really believe it is a worthy cause. Please let me know if any of you have thoughts...
I'm in the process of drafting an email to my Alabama state legislators and would appreciate any help you have to give. Alabama, as we all know, is not terribly progressive and current law states that "it is an unfair and deceptive trade practice for a manufacturer of motor vehicles to make direct sales or leases of new motor vehicles to the public in Alabama." I am not originally from AL and have only been here for 2.5 years, so I don't know what thought process legislators had (other than being paid by lobbyists?) when this decision was made.
A Senate Bill was introduced in late 2016 which read (in part) "This bill would allow a manufacturer of alternative fuel motor vehicles to sell and lease its vehicles directly to the public." It was introduced and immediately died in August.
My intention is to draft a well thought/written email which I will send to every state legislator once a week until I get an appropriate response (that may be excessive, I know). Has anyone else done this in their equally backward state?? Did it have any effect? What needs to be included/articulated for it to make a difference? All help will be sincerely appreciated (except the smart comments about where I live, I had to go where the money was...) please comment or PM me! Thank you for your time!!
I have since sent an email to Tesla asking for talking points, any reps who have been helpful, etc. Once I have a product I will post it here so you may modify it to your liking and send it to your representatives if you wish. I figure it will only cost me my time, but potentially save me a ton of time if the law is eventually changed. The Brentwood service center is much closer to me than the long drive a lot of you have to Atlanta, or wherever is closest, but I really believe it is a worthy cause. Please let me know if any of you have thoughts...
