Tesla Motors earned a huge victory this week as the automotive company is now allowed to sell cars in North Carolina without the help of a dealership.
The North Carolina Automotive Dealers set out to stop the green car company earlier this year by endorsing a bill that would have made it impossible for Tesla to sell cars in the state according to a report by engadget.com.
The legislation, which was supported by the Senate's Commerce Committee, sought out to stop direct-to-consumer sales which eliminates the need for a dealership.
"We believe that Tesla, like all the other auto dealers in the state, should get a license, appoint a dealer, fall under the protection of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and sell cars," Robert Glaser, president of the North Carolina Automobile Dealers' Association said according to ABC News. 'We just want them to play by the same set of rules that the other 7,000 dealers in the state do."
It was up to company CEO Elon Musk to make sure the legislation didn't go through, so he and fellow employees took both North Carolina Governor Pat McCroy and House Speaker Thom Tillis on test drivers to show what the Model S can do according to engadget.com.
Musk's strategy seemed to work, as the N.C. House of Representatives struck down the proposed bill this week, the same week a similar bill in New York was put on hold at least until the end of 2013.
Right now Tesla is legally allowed to see cars in every state except for Texas. A "We the People" petition has started on the White House website in attempt to get the Obama administration to make a new rule that would allow Tesla to sell to consumers without dealing with state regulations.
Eight days remain on the clock and so far the petition is short approximately 66,000 signatures needed for the policy to pass.
Click here to sign the petition.
Tesla Motors was founded in 2003, and made headlines when it created the first all-electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster. The company calls the Model S the "world's first premium electric sedan," and is priced between $49,900 to $98,000 depending on battery options and equipment upgrades according to their company site.
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