A bill that passed the House aimed at banning electric vehicles from being sold directly to customers is now in the Senate. However, it’s drawing criticism.House Bill 401 would arguably close the market to electric vehicles in the state. It says the manufacturer cannot have both a manufacturers license and a dealer’s license in Mississippi.”The fact of the matter is, we have a model in the state of Mississippi. We’re just asking that they follow the law, and we don’t have two sets of rules,” said State Sen. Daniel Sparks.”We’re looking to be more competitive and we’re looking to close out an industry, and we shouldn’t do that,” said State Sen. Jeremy England.Tesla sells cars directly to consumers, meaning you can buy a car from them online or get the car directly from the assembly line. But that goes against Mississippi’s dealership franchise model that’s been in place for decades.”That’s what this bill is intended to do: to clarify that if you want to have a manufacturer (license), you can sell your cars direct to customers if you so desire, but if you want to sell them through dealerships, you simply have to follow franchise laws on the books,” Sparks said.The bill would also stop EV stores from popping up in Mississippi, with the exception of the state’s one Tesla manufacturer, which would be grandfathered in.”This law seeks to lock them down to one. See? That is another thing that really bothers me. Trying to keep people at one and not allow them to set up as many as they want,” England said.The bill passed 104-7 in the Mississippi House, showing bipartisan support. However, England argues that the bill would not only infringe on the free market but also take away future jobs from Mississippians.”When you think about the industry, the electric vehicle industry, you’ve got suppliers, manufacturers. You’ve got so many different people that are a part of that component. We want all of them to feel welcome in Mississippi. We want them to bring industry here and create good, high-paying jobs for Mississippians,” England said.
A bill that passed the House aimed at banning electric vehicles from being sold directly to customers is now in the Senate. However, it’s drawing criticism.
House Bill 401 would arguably close the market to electric vehicles in the state. It says the manufacturer cannot have both a manufacturers license and a dealer’s license in Mississippi.
“The fact of the matter is, we have a model in the state of Mississippi. We’re just asking that they follow the law, and we don’t have two sets of rules,” said State Sen. Daniel Sparks.
“We’re looking to be more competitive and we’re looking to close out an industry, and we shouldn’t do that,” said State Sen. Jeremy England.
Tesla sells cars directly to consumers, meaning you can buy a car from them online or get the car directly from the assembly line. But that goes against Mississippi’s dealership franchise model that’s been in place for decades.
“That’s what this bill is intended to do: to clarify that if you want to have a manufacturer (license), you can sell your cars direct to customers if you so desire, but if you want to sell them through dealerships, you simply have to follow franchise laws on the books,” Sparks said.
The bill would also stop EV stores from popping up in Mississippi, with the exception of the state’s one Tesla manufacturer, which would be grandfathered in.
“This law seeks to lock them down to one. See? That is another thing that really bothers me. Trying to keep people at one and not allow them to set up as many as they want,” England said.
The bill passed 104-7 in the Mississippi House, showing bipartisan support. However, England argues that the bill would not only infringe on the free market but also take away future jobs from Mississippians.
“When you think about the industry, the electric vehicle industry, you’ve got suppliers, manufacturers. You’ve got so many different people that are a part of that component. We want all of them to feel welcome in Mississippi. We want them to bring industry here and create good, high-paying jobs for Mississippians,” England said.
