Tesla Inches Toward Direct Sales In Arizona

2015 Tesla Model S (Credit: Tesla )

While Tesla has lost the ability to sell its vehicles through a direct model in certain states, there is some positive news as AutoBlog points to early signs that could possibility indicate Arizona will do an about-face. Certain politicians within the state might be questing to throw Tesla a bone, despite the fact that the automaker recently passed on constructing its ludicrous gigafactory battery production facility in the state and chose Nevada instead. There might be a possibility that the move to lift the ban on direct car sales in Arizona is a move to attract future Tesla operations to the state.

Recently a piece of legislation, House Bill 2216, made its way through the Arizona House Commerce Committee. Among the items currently included in the bill is a pathway for Tesla to set up its retail stores in the state’s borders, with a catch. The automaker would not be able to get cozy with any established car dealers in Arizona, plus it would be required to construct a service center inside the state, which would also handle any warranty or recall problems that might arise.

Arizona has a particularly strong Republican party, which ironically in the past has often been opposed to the sale of Tesla electric vehicles in the state (and other states as well). Some people have a bone to pick with Tesla over its use of federal government loans, accusing the company of taking public funds while not contributing to the economy. Some people have pointed out that self-described capitalists and free-market champions have behaved in a way that could be characterized as hypocritical as they have moved to use laws to prevent competition in the local automotive market.

If Arizona indeed allows Tesla to start selling cars in its state, could it trigger more states welcoming the automaker or maybe even reversing bans that have been put in place? Nothing is set in stone yet as HB 2216 could be altered, so stay tuned for more news as it develops.