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Tesla Only Sort Of In Utah

Tesla has built a new store location in Utah ( I drove past it last week, strange spot, but near the freeway, so good for charging ), but as Beehive Startups ( and many others ) notes Tesla is not allowed to sell cars in Utah:

now we sit at an awkward impasse. Tesla is left scratching their heads, sitting on a dealership they can’t legally open, and Utah is left in the contradictory position of claiming to be a state supporting innovation and new business while doing the exact opposite. Anyone wanting to purchase a Tesla must do so outside the state.

A bill was presented, H.B. 394, that would have made it possible for Tesla to sell vehicles in Utah. Unfortunately it was defeated: 41 no, 32 yes. I’ve already contacted my rep asking for an explanation on why he voted against it. I haven’t received a response yet.

Let me be clear, I won’t be buying a Tesla vehicle, they are way out of my price range. My complaint is over how disappointed I am in seeing the legal system being used to block what seems to be a reasonable request: allow a car company to sell cars.

3 replies on “Tesla Only Sort Of In Utah”

I wrote to my rep, Rebecca Houck, and here’s why she said she voted no:

Hi, Lance,

I appreciate your inquiry. It was my attempt to be deliberative and cautious that has caused some to question my intention related to my “no” vote on the Tesla bill. I am not averse to Tesla being in this market and allowing them some mechanism by which they can sell directly to customers. In the case of HB394, I knew that additional amendments added to the original legislation might have been optimal, and consensus driven. However, when the bill came to a vote (merely hours after the amended language had been released), I hadn’t had the time to review the amendments thoroughly and opted to vote “no.” Rep. Patrice Arent even tried to get the bill circled (that’s when we set it aside for a bit –even just an hour or so–so we could look at the changes and talk to all involved about them), but that motion was defeated.

I have a tendency to support bills that have been worked on over the interim, if they provide pretty substantive changes to current practice. At a minimum, I have found that bills that are rushed through at the end of the session seem to often have problems. I am hoping that the sponsor will work the bill through the interim, and I will connect with the stakeholders involved to see how this is coming along. A good example of doing this effectively is the bill that was passed to support UBER and Lyft. Even though the taxi companies weren’t totally happy with it, it was something that had been fashioned with compromise and discussion since last year and I was more than happy to support it. By contrast, the Tesla folks came to present their case on the bill to our caucus only a week or so before the end of the session.

Thanks again for your advocacy. Hopefully, we can get something situated for next year!

Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck
Minority Whip
Utah House of Representatives

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