Wyoming Legislature Passes Direct Sales Bill

[RobStark]

Legislature passes a bill that would allow Tesla to open showroom, service shop in Wyoming

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature passed a bill that would allow Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer, to sell cars directly to drivers in the state — with lawmakers enthusiastically proclaiming the move will give a bump to Powder River Basin coal.

Senate File 57 changed the state’s franchise law to allow direct sale of vehicles to Wyomingites without the use of independently owned car dealerships, said Daniel Witt, a manager of business development and policy for the Palo Alto, California-based company, who lobbied for the legislation.

Rep. Nathan Winters, a Thermopolis Republican, noted that power plants in about 30 states generate electricity with Wyoming coal. He argued that supporting the bill would be a way to support Wyoming’s fossil fuels.

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I have thought this has made sense since forever. The argument should me made in coal country that EVs run on local energy while gasoline/diesel cars run on foreign energy.

Wind/BES will inevitably replace coal in Wyoming but the Wyoming legislature does not know that.

BTW The Governor is expected to sign the bill.

 

[SageBrush]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
Politicians are sooooo bloody stupid

 

[GoTslaGo]

Legislature passes a bill that would allow Tesla to open showroom, service shop in Wyoming

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature passed a bill that would allow Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer, to sell cars directly to drivers in the state — with lawmakers enthusiastically proclaiming the move will give a bump to Powder River Basin coal.

Senate File 57 changed the state’s franchise law to allow direct sale of vehicles to Wyomingites without the use of independently owned car dealerships, said Daniel Witt, a manager of business development and policy for the Palo Alto, California-based company, who lobbied for the legislation.

Rep. Nathan Winters, a Thermopolis Republican, noted that power plants in about 30 states generate electricity with Wyoming coal. He argued that supporting the bill would be a way to support Wyoming’s fossil fuels.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

I have thought this has made sense since forever. The argument should me made in coal country that EVs run on local energy while gasoline/diesel cars run on foreign energy.

Wind/BES will inevitably replace coal in Wyoming but the Wyoming legislature does not know that.

BTW The Governor is expected to sign the bill.

In regard to using wind and renewables:

Wyoming Considers De Facto Prohibition On Solar And Wind Energy

So if this passes, Mr. Winters may have a point.

 

[ecarfan]

with lawmakers enthusiastically proclaiming the move will give a bump to Powder River Basin coal.

Oh, the irony.

Wind/BES will inevitably replace coal in Wyoming but the Wyoming legislature does not know that.

Let's hope so.

Wyoming Considers De Facto Prohibition On Solar And Wind Energy

And that seems like something Wyoming might actually do. It will delay sustainable energy in that state, but not for long.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Politicians are sooooo bloody stupid

I find that elected politicians often (but not always) reflect the thinking of their constituencies.

 

[RobStark]

Wyoming can not by itself consume enough coal to keep its mines economic.

By hook or by crook those coal mines will close in the not too distant future.

Is Wyoming going to import natural gas at greater expense or simply go with Wind/BES supplemented with some Solar at much cheaper cost with more local jobs?

 

[McRat]

...
I find that elected politicians often (but not always) reflect the thinking of their constituencies.

Then us Californians are in deep guano.

We still think gasoline is greener than diesel, corn liquor is a great motor fuel, H2 is made in a test tube with a lantern battery and water, nuclear power cannot ever be clean, fusion is coming any day, CNG is ZEV fuel, a PiP actually goes in the HOV lanes without burning gasoline, traffic congestion has no effect on smog, people with infants are really carpooling to work (internship?), rich people need to get to work faster than the proletariat (FasTrak), there is no ecological damage by building in the coastal areas, only in the deserts and dry lakes, making the right lane go 55 mph and the other lanes much faster is not a recipe for disaster, the Bay Area needs welfare from the rest of the state, rich people are evil biologically and should be punished, and of course, a government run by workers who dictate their own pay level gets better workers.

 

[ecarfan]

Wow. And here I thought this thread was about good news from Wyoming that Tesla will be able to sell direct.

I am pretty happy living in California. It's not perfect, but I prefer it.

 

[McRat]

Wow. And here I thought this thread was about good news from Wyoming that Tesla will be able to sell direct.

I am pretty happy living in California. It's not perfect, but I prefer it.

It seemed (cough) you were throwing a subtle dig (har) at Wyoming because they are not perfectly green. But us Californians are in a BIG glass house and that glass is not laminated much less bullet resistant.

 

[EV-lutioin]

I used to live in Wyoming; it is the Saudi Arabia of wind... it never stops blowing out there! Time to give up on coal and put up some windmills and Superchargers.

 

[tinm]

Does anyone know if Wyoming eventually passed the pro-Tesla bill? Did the governor sign it? Is it law?

 

[rhumbliner]

Does anyone know if Wyoming eventually passed the pro-Tesla bill? Did the governor sign it? Is it law?

Yes, it was signed last winter. I posted a link to the article on TMC but can't find it now. I also received a nice call from Cale Case thanking us for our support.

 

[tinm]

Yes, it was signed last winter. I posted a link to the article on TMC but can't find it now. I also received a nice call from Cale Case thanking us for our support.

Has Tesla done anything since? As in, opened a store and/or service center in the state? (I ask longingly, wishing some state senator in the New Mexico legislature would have the guts to do this kind of thing as well, independently of Tesla. So far they won't budge without Tesla's involvement, and Tesla won't commit, much to the delight of the evil auto dealer and oil/gas lobbies.)

 

[rhumbliner]

Has Tesla done anything since? As in, opened a store and/or service center in the state?

Not to my knowledge, although @pax stays on top of these thing better than I. We're hoping for a presence in Casper, although I wouldn't be disappointed if they put in some type of facility in Jackson.

 

[RobStark]

Neither Mercedes,BMW,Lexus,nor Porsche have a dealer in Wyoming.

There is a Volkswagen-Audi dealer in Casper. That is a tough market for Tesla.

Since Colorado has a limit of one store I thought maybe one in Cheyenne that can also serve the Northern exurbs of Denver-Fort Collins. Also close to University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Or since Tesla is banned in Utah maybe a small store in Evanston Wyoming?

Aren't the wealthy residents of Jackson (Hole) only part time residents? As in they can probably test drive a Tesla at their other residence?

 

[rhumbliner]

@RobStark, you make excellent points vis a vis Cheyenne & Evanston. However, I've spoken to the Salt Lake service center and Jackson generates enough business to warrant a Ranger visit multiple times per week. Pocatello & Idaho Falls combined don't generate that level of demand. The service manager said corporate is considering a small service center in Idaho Falls to handle Idaho, Montana, and western Wyoming, but he thinks Jackson is a better choice.

As for the percentage of Tesla owners for whom Jackson is a 2nd (or 3rd) home, I don't have any solid data.

 

[jbcarioca]

Then us Californians are in deep guano.

We still think gasoline is greener than diesel, corn liquor is a great motor fuel, H2 is made in a test tube with a lantern battery and water, nuclear power cannot ever be clean, fusion is coming any day, CNG is ZEV fuel, a PiP actually goes in the HOV lanes without burning gasoline, traffic congestion has no effect on smog, people with infants are really carpooling to work (internship?), rich people need to get to work faster than the proletariat (FasTrak), there is no ecological damage by building in the coastal areas, only in the deserts and dry lakes, making the right lane go 55 mph and the other lanes much faster is not a recipe for disaster, the Bay Area needs welfare from the rest of the state, rich people are evil biologically and should be punished, and of course, a government run by workers who dictate their own pay level gets better workers.

I often disagree with you, and I do with about half of this, but there are some truths here too. Many very wealthy people do think they should pay more than do poor ones. That is what some of us think is an enlightened view.

OT, Wyoming has some serious oddities and short sited views but allowing direct sales actually will have a trifle of positive impact on Wyoming coal use, in the short term. One day Wyoming will find that jobs and taxable events correlate with, for example, wind power. Then things will change. That is probably sooner to arrive than Wyomng politicians think. It will arrive as soon as "Big Wind Power" starts making larger political contributions than does the coal lobby.

 

[McRat]

I often disagree with you, and I do with about half of this, but there are some truths here too. Many very wealthy people do think they should pay more than do poor ones. That is what some of us think is an enlightened view. ...

In the US, poor folk do not pay any significant taxes, quite the opposite. It's cheaper for them to stay home than work in many states. That's why we had to start the Earned Income Credit, to make it pay to work.

It's not just taxes that make the wealthy evil. Their free speech, religious beliefs, and other rights should be curtailed as an inverse function. The more you work, the less say you should have in your personal life and your freedom. Those decisions should be made by the 'poor' or government employees, not the evil rich.

The irony is that some of the richest tax evaders (legal or otherwise) whine that they pay too few taxes and we overtax the poor. Do you hear me Buffet the Buffoon? Insider trading doesn't get you the better condo in heaven.

 

[neroden]

Someone here seem to still have the delusion that rich people work for a living.

They don't.

Rich people make money off investments -- "unearned income", legally speaking. That's what differentiates them (us) from the rest of you.

Some rich people have hobbies, like running businesses. But they make their living off of owning or controlling stuff. Just like the aristocracy in the Middle Ages made their living by owning or controlling land, not by actually working.

That's fine. Nothing wrong with making money without earning it. Every one of us on the investment forum is doing so.

But to those to whom much is given, much must be taken as well, and it is the duty of the lucky aristocrats to pay for the government. Some of them, the wise ones, are willing to do so, and they will always have millions loving them. Some of them are jackasses and are not willing to; they are on the road to the guillotine, though they know it not.

 

[neroden]

Back on the topic of Wyoming. Wyoming seems to be the worst state in the US in terms of emissions per kwh, being full of large, nasty coal-burning plants -- fuelled by local coal, which is why they are staying open much longer than coal plants in other states which need to haul the coal in from far away.

There is more total coal usage in several states out east, but it's a lower percentage of their grid. They are also likely to close much sooner than the Wyoming plants because they are far away from cheap coal and the only nearby coal is expensive and low quality. Appalachian coal is largely mined out and what's left is of low quality, and the same is true of Illinois coal. It is very expensive to haul rocks from one end of the country to the other.

When the Wyoming coal plants close, it'll probably be The End for fossil fuels in the US.

 

[Mkorpal]

Neither Mercedes,BMW,Lexus,nor Porsche have a dealer in Wyoming.

There is a Volkswagen-Audi dealer in Casper. That is a tough market for Tesla.

Since Colorado has a limit of one store I thought maybe one in Cheyenne that can also serve the Northern exurbs of Denver-Fort Collins. Also close to University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Or since Tesla is banned in Utah maybe a small store in Evanston Wyoming?

Aren't the wealthy residents of Jackson (Hole) only part time residents? As in they can probably test drive a Tesla at their other residence?

I'm pretty sure there is no limit on stores in Colorado any more.