Tesla tries to sell its vehicles directly in Alabama, senator introduces new bill

Tesla currently doesn’t have any retail or service presence in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama, but the automaker is looking to expand everywhere in the US ahead of the introduction of the Model 3. Now a new bill in Alabama, if passed, will enable Tesla to sell its vehicles directly to customers in the state.

Under existing law in Alabama, like in a few other states in the US, automakers are not allowed to sell their vehicles directly to customers and are forced to go through third-party dealerships.

A new bill, Senate Bill 22 introduced by State Sen. Tom Whatley, would “allow a manufacturer of alternative fuel vehicles to sell and lease its vehicles directly to the public”, and Tesla would fit the description considering it only sells all-electric vehicles.

Tesla doesn’t operate any store in Alabama because of the current law, but it has 3 Supercharger stations in the state to support the interstate 85 and 10 routes.

The bill has been assigned to the Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee.

Here’s the bill via AL.com:

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