Tesla Motors wins in North Carolina, anti-competitive legislation dropped

Chalk up another win for Elon Musk and the crew at Tesla Motors. The North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association (NCADA) had convinced its pals in the Senate to pass a bill with language that would have, among other things, banned the California automaker from selling cars in the state. After meeting some strong head winds in the North Carolina House of Representatives, however, the bill has been scrapped. All but the anti-free market bit was then added to a separate piece of legislation.

It seems the Tesla charm offensive – both Governor Pat McCrory and House Speaker Thom Tillis went for test drives – was quite effective. We're also certain the company's recent high profile also helped the cause, what with making its first profit and paying back the entirety of its DOE loan. We won't even mention the pressure added from fans of the company, like, say, our favorite vegetarian, hippie chick race car driver, Leilani Munter, who penned a piece for the Huffington Post about the issue.

So, will this latest win convince national and regional auto dealer associations to give up their crusade against the electric car company's direct sales model? Probably not. Still, it sure looks like the tide is turning.