How does Tesla get around it if DeLorean couldn't? Are all their showrooms independently owned or not actually considered car dealers? I never see "JimBob Brothers Tesla" around, it's just Tesla.
Basically Tesla has been sued or had the law come up in almost every single state, and every single one basically has a unique legal exception or banning regarding them. Ranging from "zero-emission/electric gets a free pass" to "dealerships can't service the vehicles correctly so Tesla wins by being too complex." Wikipedia has an entire page just for the issue and its mostly listing each state's different setup.
If I had to guess, its a lot of that "electric/zero-emission" propaganda managing to convince a lot of lawmakers into giving them a loophole. Or getting a lot of bribe money using the various Green laws already on the books to pay those lawmakers.
Aside from what's mentioned, Tesla will simply not sell in a state if they have too strict of laws they can't get around. They'll sell via the internet and ship it to you or let you pick it up. Technically, I think all their sales are via the internet even if you're in person.
As for independent dealerships, that's part of the trick. The reason behind some of the dealership laws is that manufacturers would be unfairly competing with their own franchisees. Since Tesla does not have any franchised dealerships, those laws don't apply to them.
How does Tesla get around it if DeLorean couldn't? Are all their showrooms independently owned or not actually considered car dealers? I never see "JimBob Brothers Tesla" around, it's just Tesla.
Basically Tesla has been sued or had the law come up in almost every single state, and every single one basically has a unique legal exception or banning regarding them. Ranging from "zero-emission/electric gets a free pass" to "dealerships can't service the vehicles correctly so Tesla wins by being too complex." Wikipedia has an entire page just for the issue and its mostly listing each state's different setup.
If I had to guess, its a lot of that "electric/zero-emission" propaganda managing to convince a lot of lawmakers into giving them a loophole. Or getting a lot of bribe money using the various Green laws already on the books to pay those lawmakers.
Aside from what's mentioned, Tesla will simply not sell in a state if they have too strict of laws they can't get around. They'll sell via the internet and ship it to you or let you pick it up. Technically, I think all their sales are via the internet even if you're in person.
As for independent dealerships, that's part of the trick. The reason behind some of the dealership laws is that manufacturers would be unfairly competing with their own franchisees. Since Tesla does not have any franchised dealerships, those laws don't apply to them.