What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, New Jersey Democrats were eagerly drafting legislation to help Tesla circumvent state law to sell its electric vehicles directly to Garden State consumers.
At the time, electric cars were a relatively rare sight on the road and Tesla CEO Elon Musk was known more for his business exploits than his political leanings, which were then more center-left.
Now, however, Musk has made a sharp right turn when it comes to politics, heading up the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, and state Democrats are racing to target Tesla for its dealership exemption, according to Politico.
Under Gov. Chris Christie, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission adopted a rule in 2014 that interpreted state law to mandate all car manufacturers sell their vehicles through licensed dealers. But Tesla’s business model bypasses the dealership and sells directly to consumers at its showrooms.
Addressing the situation, Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald said he would “work with my colleagues in the Legislature to clean up the governor’s mess.” The result was a Democrat-sponsored bill that Christie signed in 2015 that allowed electric car companies to sell directly to the public.
Tesla was then the only company in New Jersey that fit the bill.
Just one day after Democrat Assembly candidates Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan on Wednesday called for New Jersey to end the special exemption for Tesla, freshman Democrat Assemblymember Heather Simmons introduced a bill to eliminate it. Simmons told Politico it wasn’t a politically-motivated decision.
“Ten years ago, when this law was enacted … it made sense, because Tesla was the only manufacturer doing EVs and it was an effort to bolster electric vehicles in New Jersey,” Simmons told the outlet in a phone interview. “It doesn’t make sense now, when multiple manufacturers deal in EVs, and they’re the only ones who have the opportunity right now to bypass the dealership model. That’s not fair. Let’s level that playing field.”
In a statement, Brennan appeared to link the targeting of Tesla’s exemption more explicitly to Musk’s political rebranding.
“It’s absurd that New Jersey is giving Tesla special treatment, both from a policy perspective and given everything Elon Musk is doing to harm our state,” she said.
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