It is much harder to buy a Tesla (or Rivian, Lucid or other directly sold vehicle) if you live in CT than in most of the country.
If you live in CT and want to buy a Tesla, it is more of a challenge because Tesla is not legally permitted to open stores in the state. CT shares this dubious honor with a minority of other states.
Store On Tribal Land
The headline notwithstanding, Tesla has found a partial workaround to the sales prohibition by opening a store on tribal land at the Mohegan Sun (MS) Reservation. Tribal lands are sovereign and not subject to the franchise laws. Tesla only needed the permission of the tribal council, which they were happy to grant as it fits into MS plans for sustainability. MS have also installed 60 destination chargers for their patrons.
Dealership Franchise Laws
The reason for this state of affairs is what is known as the dealer franchise laws, written many years ago.
When the legacy automobile companies wanted to expand their businesses, the method of choice was to have independent businesses retail and service their vehicles. These business people were concerned, with reason, that should they succeed in building a market locally, that the manufacturer with which they had affiliated, would open stores themselves and put them out of business. In other words, these franchise laws came about to protect dealerships from their affiliated manufacturers.
The legacy auto companies have yet to get serious traction with their EVs. Tesla outsells all other EVs combined. There are several reasons for this, two of which are that many dealers don’t want to sell them, and many manufacturers have not made a serious effort to market them. The Sierra Club, in its most recent (2019) EV Shopper Study, found that 74% of auto dealers nationally did not have a single EV on their lot. The EV Club of CT was asked by the Sierra Club to do dealership visits in CT. These people reported that the 74% figure understates the true nature of the problem. In many cases, even if the dealership had EVs on the lot, the salesperson would try to switch pitch them to an ICE vehicle or was simply not well-informed. Among dealerships visited, the Sierra Club found zero 5-star dealerships in CT.
Tesla’s business model is to sell directly to consumers. They own their own stores and service centers. The franchise laws state that a seller has to be an independent business and so the dealership lobby has essentially used them as protectionism.
Service Centers
It is legal to open service centers without running afoul of the law. Tesla now has service centers in Milford and Stamford. They have long been reported to be seeking to open a service center in the Greater Hartford Area. Rivian has opened a service center in Shelton. Both companies have augmented service locations with mobile servicing units (i.e. the technician comes to you).
Tesla is also building a new sales and service center across the state line in Springfield, MA. This will take some of the pressure off the downstate service centers until Tesla is able to expand near Hartford.
Leasing
When the franchise laws were written, nobody leased cars, and so those laws don’t specifically address leasing. Tesla has obtained a leasing license in CT. This is a fairly recent development (December 2019). It was hung up for a while due to the politics, but it is in force and the company is leasing vehicles from its service facilities in Milford and Stamford. Test drives are permitted. Rivian is not doing this.
Delivery
The laws prohibiting sales also prohibit delivery. This applies even if you lease a vehicle. If you live in the eastern or northern part of the state, Tesla stores in MA or RI are NOT a delivery option (different state laws). Tesla is pushing deliveries of custom order vehicles to Mohegan Sun. Vehicles bought from inventory are generally sitting at Mt. Kisco, NY, and that is where it is necessary to go to pick up those vehicles.
Showrooms
Tesla used to have a showroom in Greenwich, CT, but that is now closed.
Beyond Tesla
As noted, Tesla is no longer alone in selling direct. Rivian and Lucid have opted for direct sales, which can provide a more curated experience. A major recent announcement is that two new EV companies backed by major legacy brands have announced they intend to use the direct sales model. These are Scout, backed by Volkswagen, and Afeela, a joint venture of Honda and Sony. The world is changing.
What Else You Can Do
Even with a service center and an enthusiastic clientele, the lack of stores still adds friction to the purchase process. Tesla has advised us that sales are higher in areas where they have stores. You can help! Write, email, or call your elected state senator and representative to tell them you support direct sales for EV manufacturers that do not have an existing dealership network and choose to sell this way. The only way to counter a well-funded and organized dealer lobby is with voters making their voices heard. If you do not know who your representatives are, you can locate them by going to https://www.cga.ct.gov/. Click on Representation (located at the top left side of the home page) and click on “Find Your Legislator”. Enter your town, street name, and street number and click to see a list of names. Click on the name and you will get to their individual web page.