China Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Why Texas Bans the Sale of Tesla Cars ...the Tesla Model S. It’s being hailed as a game changer. It’s the first electric car to win Motor Trend’s Car of the Year; an unprecedented 99 out of 100 rating from Consumer Reports; and now, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it’s also the safest car ever. But if the Model S really is the car of the future, then why has Texas banned its sales in the state and why are lawmakers in several other states trying to do the same? To answer that, first you need to meet Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He plans on opening 50 new Tesla stores in the next year. And taking a page from the Apple playbook, Musk is selling his product directly to consumers. No hard sell. No commission for employees. And uniform prices at everystore. “We actually train people to educate,” explained Musk. “We always wanted to be a really low-key kind of friendly environment, where we're not constantly trying to close deals.” That’s a dig at the traditional middlemen in the car-buying experience: the car dealers. Musk wants to cut them out completely. He thinks customers don’t like them and that dealers are prejudiced againstelectric cars. “It takes them at least twice as much effort to sell someone an electric car and to educate them as to why an electric car is good,” said Musk. “And so if we were to go through the traditional dealer path, the result would be a disaster.” So Musk is declaring war on car dealers, but car dealers are also declaring war on Musk. They have already successfully booted him out of Texas and there is anti-Tesla legislation pending in North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia. ... The outcome of the battle remains to be seen, but it’s just one of many standing in Musk’s way of the Model S becoming a mainstream success. For all the hype, only 20,000 have been sold. Click on the link for the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I can understand if this was the State trying to protect the consumer from harm (like from a major company taking advantage of them). But it's not. Its a special interest paying the State to protect it's business model. A model, which incidentally, makes a killing by preying on consumers. Unless I'm missing something, it doesn't make sense (for the consumer) for the State(s) to be doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Article briefly makes reference to "people wanting exceptions to the franchise laws", or some such. Are people passing laws banning Teslas? Or is Tesla asking to be exempt from some existing law I haven't heard of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 They want to sell directly to the consumer rather than having middlemen (car dealers) do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 They want to sell directly to the consumer rather than having middlemen (car dealers) do it. I read that. Is there some existing law that says they can't do that? Some law which Tesla wants to be exempt from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma There Goes That Man Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I applaud the efforts of people like Musk. Game changers who aren't afraid to go against the corporate grain because they believe in the people, their principles and the quality of their product. That type of ingenuity used to drive this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I'm sure a certain someone here is going to stop by this thread and tout the genius of centrist Rick Perry in preventing the onslaught of predatory car battery proliferation.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjah Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I'm sure a certain someone here is going to stop by this thread and tout the genius of centrist Rick Perry in preventing the onslaught of predatory car battery proliferation.... ...Before tossing out some tangential one-liner hook in search of a hungry fish? Maybe we're thinking of the same angler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 First, I'll say that I've always admired the Tesla vehicles and I want one. Second, let's talk a bit about Musk. He's not trying to solve our transportation problems or our oil/gasoline consumption problems. He has invented a vehicle that will serve as a status symbol among the petite bourgeoisie... as in the owners of newly purchased BMW, Merc & Audi vehicles, typically upper-middleclass... and he wants to do it his way, creating a unique, exclusive product. I don't necessarily have a problem with that and I'm certainly not attempting to be dismissive of the greatness of this vehicle. It is one of the finest vehicles ever made. But... if Musk truly wanted to cause a massive shift in the car market as a "game changer," he would have designed a vehicle in the $30K range for the everyday man. He would have taken the Henry Ford route and designed the Model T at a price that everyone could afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I actually walked by the Tesla store in Tyson's Corner Mall like 2 weeks ago. I remember thinking WTF? A car dealership in A MALL, that doesn't make any sense at all. I guess it does now. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINS@THEGOALLINE Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Texas just wants free enterprise and less government intervention in the marketplace. . . what a bunch of crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 First, I'll say that I've always admired the Tesla vehicles and I want one. Second, let's talk a bit about Musk. He's not trying to solve our transportation problems or our oil/gasoline consumption problems. He has invented a vehicle that will serve as a status symbol among the petite bourgeoisie... as in the owners of newly purchased BMW, Merc & Audi vehicles, typically upper-middleclass... and he wants to do it his way, creating a unique, exclusive product. I don't necessarily have a problem with that and I'm certainly not attempting to be dismissive of the greatness of this vehicle. It is one of the finest vehicles ever made. But... if Musk truly wanted to cause a massive shift in the car market as a "game changer," he would have designed a vehicle in the $30K range for the everyday man. He would have taken the Henry Ford route and designed the Model T at a price that everyone could afford. He's working on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 He's working on it And that would make me very happy, as the current $60K Tesla is just way too out of my comfort zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Yeah aren't a lot of new and innovative models usually more expensive when they first roll out? Same issue with the Prius when it first came off the line too, I think,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsHokieFan Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 The 35k model will be available in 2015. My brother works at Solar City, which is essentially the residential energy equivalent of Tesla and also owned by Musk He has been to the Tesla factory multiple times and there is some very cool stuff going on there</p> Eventually Musk would like people to be able to charge their Tesla's at their solar powered homes provided by Solar City, and you will have additional batteries to store solar energy for several days.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjah Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Why not just use the grid as your battery, as is done now with smart metering? Or is the idea to be completely self sufficient off-grid? That's certainly a step up in ambition, to say the least... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Excuses Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Read about the 30K model a few months back. Saving up to make that my next car purchase once it's out. Hopefully the anti-Tesla legislation isn't passed in VA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 The video didn't work for me, and the article doesn't explain WHY Texas kicked them out, other than his competitors don't want him there. For a state as republican as Texas, they sure don't seem to understand free-market capitalism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Texas just wants free enterprise and less government intervention in the marketplace. . . what a bunch of crap. You didn't realize that Rick Perry is a left wing socialist did you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKINS@THEGOALLINE Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 You didn't realize that Rick Perry is a left wing socialist did you? . . . OOPS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky21 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 There is anti-Tesla legislation in the works in Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 If they have no dealerships with full-service operation who is going to fix these cars when things inevitably start to break? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodBits Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 If they have no dealerships with full-service operation who is going to fix these cars when things inevitably start to break? I'm truly shocked that someone as smart as Musk didn't take that into consideration... Nudge nudge http://www.teslamotors.com/service Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I'm truly shocked that someone as smart as Musk didn't take that into consideration... Nudge nudge http://www.teslamotors.com/service Okay. The way the article read and from what I've heard myself it was his intention to not have an actual dealership. You would walk up to a terminal in a store and build your vehicle and purchase it there. Either way the car is incredibly cool and I hope it pushes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I'm sure a certain someone here is going to stop by this thread and tout the genius of centrist Rick Perry in preventing the onslaught of predatory car battery proliferation.... Not until the conservative blogosphere gets its story straight. Then, we will see said post. This one is too new, he's not sure how to attack this one yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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