Connecticut may let Telsa sell EVs directly to customers

Republicans and Tesla lovers unite! Connecticut may become the next state to legalize the direct factory-to-customer distribution method championed by the California-based electric vehicle maker. And that's because one state senator had to drive a little too far to get his new rig.

Republican Senator Art Linares was forced to drive to White Plains, NY, to buy his Model S (those senators get paid well, don't they) because Connecticut has just one showroom in the state, and no sales are allowed, Green Car Reports says. Linares, of course, says catching flack from the state's dealership association is worth the trouble because of the new jobs he says Tesla dealerships would bring.

Connecticut has been close to the leading edge of electric-vehicle promotion, though still hasn't joined states like New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania in allowing for Tesla to employ its distribution model. Last March, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) started a new promotion called the "Connecticut Revolutionary Dealer Award, in which dealers were provided state incentives to sell electric vehicles.

And last May, Connecticut became one of eight states (led by California) that were named part of the Multi-State ZEV Action Plan. Those states, which also included Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont, vowed to collectively have 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) on their roads by 2025.