An Affordability Avalanche
AS GOES IN CALIFORNIA
CLEAN CAR PUSH: Lawmakers in Washington state are making a push to boost electric vehicle sales — by letting automakers sell them.
A bill introduced Thursday would allow EV manufacturers to sell their cars directly to consumers. It’s a privilege currently enjoyed by only one EV company: Tesla, which got a bill through in 2014 to exempt it from the state’s prohibition on car sales taking place anywhere but auto dealerships.
“It’s time for Washington to stop giving special treatment to one car company, and to level the playing field for all ZEV-only manufacturers,” the bill’s primary sponsor, state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, said in a statement. “This commonsense policy is another way we can update our laws to help shape our clean transportation future.”
Currently, no EV-maker in the state except for Tesla can sell their cars in a traditional showroom, offer test drives or talk financing at all in their stores unless they are in a legacy dealership. Otherwise, consumers need to purchase the car online or buy it out of state.
Washington remains the only West Coast state with the EV sales barrier after past attempts to change state law have failed — though other states elsewhere in the U.S. have similar restrictions.
EV companies are throwing their weight behind the bill in anticipation of a fight. The Clean Car Choice Coalition, which includes manufacturers Rivian and Lucid along with groups like The Nature Conservancy and transportation nonprofit CalStart, launched Thursday alongside the bill.