Barring a block from Christie (which IMO would be stupid), it appears that New Jersey will be able to sell Tesla vehicles again: Tesla near a big win in New Jersey - Mar. 16, 2015
Tesla-inspired direct sales bill signed into law | NJBIZ Yay! That said, I still think Christie is a slimeball and think it's BS that he says: ...which doesn't address why he didn't just direct his administration to interpret the law correctly in the first place -- unfortunately that's the way the game is played. What's interesting is that the law has a restriction that limits it to those manufacturers licensed prior to Jan, 2014, meaning Tesla only and no new entrants in New Jersey. I suppose the NJ dealers' association could always sue, crafting some sort of equal protection argument, but it would be a risky move because it could open the court up to declaring that it applies to any manufacturer.
They really had to carve out a narrow space, didn't they? pre-2014 license holders, 4 sales locations, 1 service location. At least the nose of the camel is in the tent.
I suspect it keeps dealers happy because it's very narrowly tailored, but keeps everyone else happy because it will go to prove the success of the model, which will be expanded later.
Four locations is doable, b/c most people in NJ live near manhattan or the philly area. But only extra service station may be a tad light for the future, time will tell.
I'm pretty sure it's "at least one service facility." There are presently two: Paramus and Springfield. Let's see what, if anything, pops up in Central and/or South Jersey.
Tesla is required to operate a MINIMUM of one service center in the state, to address the common dealers' argument that a manufacturer could leave customers in the lurch for local service. From the bill: Also of note is the new requirement that all dealers report to the state their sales of zero-emission vehicles yearly: ...presumably so they know how much tax revenue they're losing out on.
Note the use of the therm "franchisor" in the law. They're sticking to the fiction that a manufacturer who doesn't have any franchised dealers is still a "franchisor".
Has anyone heard anything about another service center being opened in NJ? I had originally thought this bill was going to require an additional service center from Tesla, but either I misunderstood, or that language was changed. I'd love to see a new location down here in the Philly area.
This is very very good news. It's a step forward for New Jersey, for consumer freedom, and for no-hassle direct sales!
