How Tesla was shut out of Texas, again

In Lone Star parlance, Tesla Motors again messed with the bull, and once again, it got the horns. The California-based electric vehicle automaker has been trying for two years to sway Texas legislators to legalize direct-to-consumer sales. But, once again, a strong dealership lobby is preventing lawmakers from even considering such a thing, Bloomberg News reports.

Tesla spent more than $150,000 on lobbying during the fourth quarter of last year, and got two bills written that would support direct sales in Texas, the No. 2 US car market behind California. Those bills weren't considered by either Texas's Senate or House of Representatives and, with the state's legislative session concluding June 1, those efforts have proven fruitless. You can read the details of this latest setback over in Bloomberg.

Tesla does have two "galleries," in Austin and Dallas, and has sold more than 2,500 Model S sedans to Texas residents, who have to bring them in from out of state. There is a history of state rules changing. Georgia and New Jersey, for example, have been swayed enough to conditionally allow Tesla to offer direct sales. And last month, Maryland signed a bill of its own to allow Tesla to sell to residents without third-party dealerships. But as any proud Lone Star resident will tell you, Maryland isn't Texas.