I think most of us realize that Texans can buy a Tesla if they follow the rules in place. But what I hear you saying is that the barriers to doing that are not significant and it doesn't significantly impact Tesla's ability to penetrate the Texas auto market.
If this is really true I can only conclude that you believe Texas auto dealerships would not waste their time and money fighting a proposal to create an exception to the law for Tesla? Because Tesla is pretty much already on a level playing field so it would not help Tesla compete for market share in Texas to any significant degree?
Apologies for the length. But, we both have a tendency to be wordy at times.
Would you disagree that continuing to propagate unfounded FUD may harm Tesla sales?
It might help to consider approaching the problem from a first principles perspective in order to solve it. That is what Tesla is all about after all, right?
My goal was to be clear in stating how there is no law I have found that prevents Tesla (the company from Fremont, CA) from selling cars to Texans. This is the FUD that is oft repeated and establishes the mistaken impression that Texans cannot buy Tesla cars. It is not supported in fact, therefore it is false. Do you disagree with this?
I do agree that the statute which prevents Tesla employees at a showroom from making "sales talk" or helping a customer order a car while visiting the showroom is an actual problem. However, this is the extent of the law's teeth. The statute prevents an OEM from establishing a brick and mortar "dealership" of their own where a sales transaction can take place.
That this needs to be changed is something I agree with, however, it falls short of being "a law that prevents Tesla from selling cars in Texas" and I feel this clarification should be emphasized instead of spreading FUD based upon a casual misunderstanding of the statute's scope. Do you disagree with this?
Those who keep repeating this FUD in the Investor's Forum have been asked to cite the statute which supports their claim. As far as I have been able to discover there is no such law with the scope as it is described in these instances. I'd be happy to concede the argument if someone were to demonstrate otherwise. Does this not seem a reasonable approach toward resolving this based upon first principles?
Likewise, the presumption that a vehicle produced in Texas would have to leave the state and return is similarly flawed. Only the original MSO or Title must originate in another state. I would be interested to see if anyone can cite a statute to support this claim of the physical vehicle needing to be brought to the customer from across the state line. As far as I can tell this idea is ill founded and repeating it creates FUD for potential buyers which must be overcome. Do you disagree with the idea of looking into this claim further in order to determine whether it is or isn't based in fact?
It may not be a level playing field, however, a clever company could work within the existing rules to maximize Tesla's ability to compete until the effect of the statute on Tesla and others using the Online Sales Model is modified by the legislature, as it has been in several other states. This will take time in Texas as the legislature only meets every two years. So, what to do instead of griping and moaning and spreading FUD?
In the mean time it would benefit Tesla to take the lemons and make lemonade. Push the envelope up to and touching the edge by getting "
www.Tesla.com" out there for buyers to find, and/or, create documentation and spread the word about How To Purchase a Tesla in one of these states with a Dealership Cartel, rather than spreading the falsehood that It Is Against The Law To Buy A Tesla There. Do you disagree with this?
As mentioned, these misinterpretations of the law by media and others is more of an "education" problem in regard to Tesla increasing sales in those places that have protectionist statutes, rather than it being a legal problem.
The first step in this education would be to always present the facts in such a way as to illustrate the nature of the problem and how to work around it. i.e.:
- Individuals could make fun and interesting videos explaining the Dealership Cartel and the statute that stymies direct sales and what people can do about it
- Tesla greasing the skids by creating simple DIY packages to accompany the Title or MSO they send that includes every form needed to register and apply for title in that particular state and a step by step instruction
- Plus, anything else that could be created which will be brought up in a search for "is it legal to buy a Tesla in Texas" or similar search string, with the result being crafted to help spread knowledge, rather than further propagating FUD
Do you disagree that this could be an alternative first principles approach for Tesla and its supporters to apply in the interim until the statute can be nullified?
Granted, there would be little point in making such an effort until production is better meeting demand. I think this is just around the corner as Austin and Berlin come online. Hopefully, Tesla has this ball rolling to coincide with the production ramp.
mars.nasa.gov
mashable.com
www.thirdcoastautos.com
