Norwalk High School

55 County Street

Norwalk CT, 06851

December 22, 2018

The Honorable Lonnie

Legislative Office Building, Room 3902

Hartford, CT 06106-1591

Dear Representative Reed:

My name is Louis Cundari, I am a 17-year-old Senior at Norwalk High School, dual enrolled in Norwalk Community College and I would like to inform you about the car manufacturer, Tesla Inc. I am very intrigued by technology and the future of our environment, which is why I am bringing this topic to your attention. Under current State legislation, Tesla Inc. is banned from selling their cars directly in Connecticut and fifteen other States. As you are the Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, I believe that this problem should be of your concern.

In 2001, Connecticut has implemented a strategy to reduce current emissions by 45% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. One of the methods to reach this number was to increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in the State. One company by the name of Tesla, is providing advanced and 100% electric cars to the United States, yet many States limit their potential by denying them the right to sell their cars directly in certain States due to outdated dealership franchise laws.

One of these States is Connecticut. Tesla has been challenging the current legislation since 2014 to be able to sell their cars in State, but the government continues to turn down their business. This act by the State is contradictory towards their current goals because they are turning down the opportunity of increasing EVs in State. Connecticut has been giving tax credits to people who decide to buy an EV. For Tesla vehicles in particular, Connecticut currently gives a $3,000 tax credit to resident who purchase, but they do not allow the physical sales of these cars in State. The car must be purchased online or at an out-of-state Tesla store. With this kind of support and Connecticut’s goal to reduce carbon emissions, Connecticut should be welcoming and supporting Tesla’s business to promote the economical choice of electrical vehicles.

In many States, laws have been passed to allow Tesla to either have a certain number of dealerships or galleries. These “galleries” act like showrooms where visitors can have vehicle walkthroughs, explanations of the technology, and how to use the technology by recipient’s request, without being persuaded to buy the vehicle. This gallery would not break any current laws as the employees would not be persuading visitors to buy the car, but would tell them how they could buy the car upon request.

In Greenwich, CT, Tesla has opened one of these galleries for visitors to view the vehicle, but recently the store has been battling with the Department of Motor Vehicles over illegal practice of selling their cars. The reason of this lawsuit is due to the fact that the employees are assisting the sale by showing visitors how to configure their car on Tesla’s website and save the purchase for later outside of their gallery. Currently, the Greenwich gallery is fighting to keep their store up without the requirement of a dealer license as they claim the gallery’s purpose is to show and explain their technology.

This example of Connecticut's limitation on Tesla’s EV sale is part of the reason why there are not as many EVs in Connecticut than there could be. If Connecticut and other States legally allowed these galleries, it is inevitable that more people will purchase these cars as they will not have any skepticism or be turned away from the car by only reading or watching reviews of these cars. Having an in-person experience with any car will ease the decision of purchasing a vehicle. People will know exactly what they are buying. It is just like purchasing clothes online. You can read the product description and the reviews, but you can still receive your product and not enjoy it due to comfortability, fitting, size, or other negative qualities. This is the reason why Tesla’s galleries are important, you will know exactly what you are getting.

Furthermore, if Tesla has their own dealerships without going through franchise dealerships, they would be able to accommodate for customers with much less hassle. Being able to have their own dealerships would cut out the “middleman” of an external dealer buying a car from the manufacturer and then reselling at negotiable prices. Tesla sells their cars at set, non-negotiable prices, so the current selling process of franchise dealerships is obsolete.

Tesla’s dealerships would also make repairs and car services much more reliable. Currently, Tesla does not have a great reputation with car repairs due to the fact that the car must be either shipped out or the parts must be delivered to an auto body which could take a few weeks or in some cases, months. To solve that issue, consider allowing Tesla to have their own dealership. Being able to locally repair a Tesla would give more comfort to customers because they would be relieved of long waiting times for a repair. Instead of a few weeks or months to retrieve their car back from the repair shop, it would now be serviced the same day or in only a few days.

Connecticut, and all other States denying Tesla from direct sale are only hurting their own goals and environment. I propose to legalize direct sales for Tesla in Connecticut and other States. If this proposal was enacted, it would quickly boost the sale of EVs and the process of reaching goals to reduce carbon emissions.

Thank you for your time and your consideration of this proposal as it could have a very positive impact on our society and environment.

Sincerely,

Louis Cundari III