When the little lords that run the car dealerships have too much say in your feudal state, you get Oklahoma! The power structure that pays for all the elections ("donations") in Oklahoma is insular, to say the least..
>Although the draft of this bill (pdf below) does not specifically mention Tesla anywhere since it’s the only motor vehicle company with direct sales and OTA updates in Oklahoma, Tesla is directly affected by it if it passes.
I wonder if you could argue that such a narrowly targeted bill counts as a Bill of attainder (unconstitutional) against a company
No, because (a) other automakers are already required to sell through dealerships or in-state locations (both of which Tesla lacks in OK), and (b) it would apply to other direct-sales automakers like Fisker and Rivian.
It just happens that Tesla is currently the only direct-sales automaker actually selling cars directly to consumers.
It remains insane to me just how much clout dealers seem to have in state. I have never had a good experience with a dealer, and that's even when taking the appropriate steps to stop them changing the price or tacking on charges.
Every time this comes up there's some dealer association talking head claiming that dealers add a useful service, but they can never elucidate what that service is.
Direct sales and OTA updates being banned does nothing to make Teslas more servicable and somehow allow them to be serviced within their home state. Why does the text insinuate that it will be the case if direct sales and OTA updates are banned?
If direct sales are banned, then Tesla would have to establish sales locations in Oklahoma to sell to Oklahomans. Those sales locations can be forced by Oklahoma law to provide service facilities in accord with some regulations.
