Electric cars could be sold directly in Connecticut under a bill proposed in the state general assembly as part of the latest push from lawmakers and electric car makers.
The bill’s been considered before, but never made it to a vote.
This year, state Senator Will Haskell of Westport is the newly appointed co-chair of the transportation committee. Westport has more electric cars than any other city or town in the state.
“Connecticut has set a really ambitious goal. We want to see 500,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030. We’re nowhere close to meeting that goal. And it’s because in the state of Connecticut, you can’t buy a Tesla, you can’t buy a Lucid, you can’t buy a Rivian without going into another state to make that purchase,” Haskell said.
Connecticut is one of six states that requires cars to be sold through dealerships. But most electric car companies, including Tesla, sell their cars directly to customers through storefronts and showrooms. Car dealers say an exemption would give Tesla an unfair advantage.
