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Republican party in Texas backs Tesla sales plan

Opposition to direct sales to consumers may be weakening in Texas. The state Republican Party has include a plank in its political platform backing Tesla’s bid. 90% of Republican representatives say they are in favor of the change.

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Texas is a red state through and through. The Republican Party is strong there, but it is also a place where people have a strong libertarian streak. Many oppose to what is often considered meddling in private affairs by government. Last week , state GOP convention delegates in Texas endorsed the idea of allowing Tesla to sell its cars directly to customers, despite bitter opposition. Nearly 90% of the more than 8,000 delegates supported language in the party platform that backs Tesla.

The platform committee rejected pleas by U.S. Rep. Roger Williams and former Republican national committeeman Bill Crocker to strip the pro-Tesla language from the platform. Williams is a car dealer, and Crocker is a lawyer who represents car dealers. Williams personally called all five members of the platform subcommittee on the economy according to its chairman, Alan Arvello. When asked about the calls by the Dallas Morning News, a spokesperson for Williams said, “Like all Members of Congress, Rep. Williams uses his spare time to help support his political party.” Uh huh.

Waco Supercharger

Collin Street Bakery welcomes Tesla owners stopping by the Waco, TX Supercharger

The position taken by the Texas automobile dealers has been successful so far at preventing a change in state law to allow Tesla to sell cars directly to customers. As things stand at the moment, customers can look at a Tesla car in one of the company’s three “galleries” in Dallas, Houston and Austin, but can’t test drive them without an appointment.

They also can’t buy the cars onsite. A Tesla employee can discuss the technology but cannot discuss price, take orders or direct the customer to the company’s website. Test drives are only permitted on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Even then, the company must get a test permit first.

The only way to buy a Tesla in Texas is to order online. The car will arrive registered in California, which means the customer has to re-register it in Texas. To have a Tesla worked on at one of the company’s four maintenance centers in Texas, service calls must be routed through the company’s California offices. Tesla says Texas is one of only five states with such a burdensome process.

But things are changing. Younger shoppers are less impressed with the state’s heavy handed approach to Tesla. They see little difference between a Tesla and an Apple product. Their libertarian leanings are offended by how the state has dealt with Tesla these past 3 years.

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David White, Tesla’s Texas spokesman, said he and two others working in the company’s booth at the Dallas convention spoke to thousands of delegates last week. Many were surprised to learn of barriers the Legislature has imposed that limit “open competition” in car sales, he said. “If Texas is truly ‘wide open’ for business, our elected officials should take the appropriate steps to end these frivolous regulations in 2017,” White said.

Arvello, chairman of the platform subcommittee and a physician assistant, said the pressure from Williams and Crocker seemed to backfire. “The more we were getting calls and having people try to influence us to vote against it, just some of that Texas emotion took over from my committee,” he said. “It was like, we’re going to do this!”

2017 may be the year when Tesla is finally victorious in its battle to sell directly to customers in Texas.

Source and photo credit: Dallas Morning News
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Tesla is launching a crazy new Rental program with cheap daily rates

This week, Tesla launched its in-house Rental program that will give people a vehicle for between three to seven days, with prices varying and starting at just $60 per day.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla is launching a crazy new Rental program with cheap daily rates, giving people the opportunity to borrow a vehicle in the company’s lineup with an outrageous number of perks.

This week, Tesla launched its in-house Rental program that will give people a vehicle for between three to seven days, with prices varying and starting at just $60 per day.

However, there are additional perks that make it a really great deal, including Free Supercharging and Free Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for the duration of the rental.

There are no limits on mileage or charging, although the terms do not allow you to leave the state you are renting.

Tesla wrote in an email advertising the program:

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“Rent a Tesla and see how it makes every errand, commute, and road trip more fun. While it’s yours, try Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and control and monitor your vehicle with the Tesla app. 

Schedule your rental for three to seven days starting at $60 per day (plus taxes and fees) and charge for free at any Tesla-owned Supercharger.

Order your own Tesla within seven days of your rental to get up to a $250 credit toward your purchase.”

Tesla has long adopted the mentality that butts in seats will sell cars, and for the most part, it is a great strategy. Driving a Tesla is different from owning and driving a combustion engine vehicle; it truly feels as if you are in a car from the past when you get back in an ICE car.

This strategy could be looked at as more of a way for people to experience Tesla ownership than anything.

Although some might use it as a typical rental program that will see it be a cool way to drive without putting miles on a personal car, most will use it as the 48-hour test drive was designed for, which is a short-term way to experience EV ownership.

Tesla is only offering this program at a handful of locations currently, including San Diego and Costa Mesa, California.

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Tesla makes online ordering even easier

Tesla has a great trade-in program that allows you to give the company your vehicle in exchange for cash, even if it’s not an EV. Their trades are mostly fair, but the company seems to undervalue its own vehicles, and there have been plenty of complaints over offers in the past.

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(Credit: Tesla Asia | X)

Tesla has adjusted its Online Design Studio to make for an easier trade-in process, reflecting the details of the exchange for a more accurate reflection of payment terms.

Tesla has a great trade-in program that allows you to give the company your vehicle in exchange for cash, even if it’s not an EV. Their trades are mostly fair, but the company seems to undervalue its own vehicles, and there have been plenty of complaints over offers in the past.

Trade-ins are usually given by submitting vehicle details, then Tesla sends an email with an offer. Offers are non-negotiable, but do adjust over time, although the latest offer is valid for 30 days.

I traded my ICE vehicle for a Tesla Model Y: here’s how it went

Knowing your new Tesla’s cash price, leasing or loan details, and monthly payment information used to be done by the car buyer. From personal experience, I simply subtracted my trade-in from the cash price of the Tesla Model Y, and I plugged those numbers into the payment calculator.

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Now, Tesla is implementing the trade-in process directly into the Design Studio. It will adjust the price of the car and the different monthly payment methods automatically:

The change is already noticed in a handful of states, including California, but it has not rolled out across the board quite yet. It will be implemented in all of the U.S., as well as Canada, this coming week.

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The trade-in process is very simple, and after you accept your offer, you simply drop your vehicle off during the delivery process. Making this simple change will be greatly appreciated by owners.

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Tesla confirms Robotaxi is heading to five new cities in the U.S.

After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Robotaxi will hit five new cities in the United States in the coming months, the company confirmed.

After launching in Austin, Texas, in late June and the Bay Area of California just a few weeks later, Tesla has been attempting to expand its Robotaxi suite to new states and cities in the U.S., and even outside of the country.

The Robotaxi suite is a ride-hailing service Tesla offers, but the details of it change with each jurisdiction, as regulations vary. For example, in Austin, Tesla can operate the Robotaxi suite without anyone in the driver’s seat, as long as the vehicle does not enter a freeway.

Credit: Tesla

In the Bay Area, a Safety Monitor rides in the driver’s seat, essentially acting as the vehicle operator with Full Self-Driving controlling the car.

The local regulations and how Tesla handles them will continue to be a relevant part of the discussion, especially as the company aims to expand the Robotaxi program to different areas. This has been a primary focus of the company for several months, especially within the United States.

CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla was aiming to launch Robotaxi in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida. However, the company detailed five specific cities where it will launch Robotaxi next during the Annual Shareholder Meeting on Thursday.

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Tesla will launch Robotaxi in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami next, broadening its Service Area for the suite to more major cities across the U.S.

It has said it plans to offer the service to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year, but it does not seem as if it will expand to more than a handful of cities this year, which is still tremendous progress, all things considered.

As far as autonomy is concerned, Tesla has always had lofty expectations and has made some even loftier statements.

At the Shareholder Meeting, Musk said that the company would likely be able to enable vehicle owners to text while the vehicle drives, alleviating them from potentially having some of the responsibility they have behind the wheel.

Tesla says texting and driving capability is coming ‘in a month or two’

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It is not confirmed that Tesla will roll this out in the next few months, but Musk said there is a possibility.

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