Ohio Republicans, Car Dealers Try To Ban Tesla Sales Again

An Ohio state senator, backed by local car dealers has for the second time introduced a measure that would ban the sales of the Tesla Model S. So much for the unfettered free market, eh?

Change can be scary. I get it, I really do, but these anti-Tesla laws are insane, plain and simple. Car dealership owners for see Tesla’s factory-owned dealer model as threatening their livelihood, and they’ll stoop to new lows to prevent Elon Musk’s electric car maker from setting down roots. In Ohio, a measure banning the direct sale of cars by manufacturers was already stricken down, but don’t expect dealers to go quietly into the night.

With paid-for Republican Tom Patton leading the way, the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association has re-entered the same bill for consideration to the state senate, albeit with the provision that Tesla’s two currently-operating stores remain open. Tesla is currently fighting similar legislation in at least four other states, with a mixed rate of success so far. Tesla sales are banned in Texas, but other markets have opened their doors to the electric car maker.

Dealership associations are fighting to preserve a model that has prevented major car makers from selling vehicles directly to consumers for decades now. Tesla is able to get around many of these state laws because there are no Tesla franchises to compete with, so dealer associations and their Republican cronies are scrambling to rewrite the laws in order to force Tesla to comply with the franchise model.

It’s absolute insanity, and the fact that a single company can be so blatantly and unfairly targeted should piss off anybody who considers themselves a car enthusiast. Regardless of your opinion on electric cars, they should be allowed to thrive or die on their own merits. Banning Tesla will hardly prevent excited enthusiasts from getting their electric sedans, one way or another, and it’s just another way that Tesla is disrupting the status quo.

Let’s hope Ohio voters see through these shenanigans, and put Patton out on his ass come the next election cycle.

Source: The Dispatch