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New Wyoming bill will allow Tesla direct sales model for all automakers

Model S 70D at the Tesla Store in Dedham, MA [Source: @Teslaliving]

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Automakers will be benefitting from a Tesla-like direct sales business model in Wyoming under proposed Senate Bill 57, which would allow car manufacturers to sell vehicles directly to consumers within the state.

The proposed bill in Wyoming would require Tesla and other direct sale manufacturers to obtain a state license to sell directly to customers. The Wyoming legislation also states that manufacturers would be allowed to open stores that they wholly own. “Right now, a manufacturer cannot legally sell cars to Wyoming consumers in Wyoming,” said Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, the lead sponsor of the bill. “I am not sure what Tesla would do with the law, but it seems like a business-friendly thing to do to make it legal for them to sell cars to people in Wyoming.”

Tesla, one of the largest global electric car manufacturers, has a business model in which it sells cars directly to customers. It skips a step in the traditional car selling process, bypassing third-party dealerships and selling its cars to consumers through stores operated by the carmaker. Because of this alternative approach, Tesla has had to fight for the right to sell its vehicles in many states.

The bill permits manufacturer sales even if it does not have a physical presence in the state. Senate File 57 adds the following “Motor vehicle franchises — exception:”

A “direct sale manufacturer” means a person licensed under W.S. 31-16-104(a)(ix) who is engaged in the business of manufacturing, constructing or assembling new and unused vehicles and who sells new and unused vehicles to the general public.

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Until the bill passes, such a direct sales business model continues to be illegal in Wyoming and several other states, including Utah, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Michigan, amongst others.

Traditional dealerships are not owned by manufacturers according to a near century-old law that was intended to prohibit big manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors from selling directly to consumers, over fears they would undercut dealers on pricing, drive them out of business and lessen competition.

Tesla has some infrastructure already in place in Wyoming. Supercharger stations are located at the Frontier Mall in Cheyenne and in Lusk, Gillette, Sheridan, and Jackson, Wyoming. Because current Wyoming law prohibits Tesla from offering direct sales to customers, the nearest places for consumers within the state to purchase Tesla vehicles are Lone Tree, Vail, and Aspen, Colorado.

The Wyoming Automobile Dealers Association (WADA) is now reviewing the proposed legislation, with concerns about fairness. Marsha Allen, WADA’s executive vice president, has indicated she is researching whether the bill will harm existing Wyoming businesses. She dismissed the need for Wyoming residents to be able to purchase Tesla vehicles in state “since people are already purchasing these vehicles,” adding that Wyoming law already allows car owners to register and title the cars with the Department of Transportation.

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Carolyn Fortuna is a writer and researcher with a Ph.D. in education from the University of Rhode Island. She brings a social justice perspective to environmental issues. Please follow me on Twitter and Facebook and Google+

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Elon Musk was right all along about Tesla’s rivals and EV subsidies

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Credit: @Gf4Tesla/Twitter

With the loss of the $7,500 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit, it looks as if Tesla CEO Elon Musk was right all along.

As the tax credit’s loss starts to take effect, car companies that have long relied on the $7,500 credit to create sales for themselves are starting to adjust their strategies for sales and their overall transition to electrification.

On Tuesday, General Motors announced it would include a $1.6 billion charge in its upcoming quarterly earnings results from its EV investments.

Ford said in late September that it expects demand for its EVs to be cut in half. Stellantis is abandoning its plan to have only EVs being produced in Europe by 2030, and Chrysler, a brand under the Stellantis umbrella, is bailing on lofty EV sales targets here in the U.S.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

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The tax credit and EV subsidies have achieved what many of us believed they were doing: masking car companies from the truth about their EV demand. Simply put, their products are not priced attractively enough for what they offer, and there is no true advantage to buying EVs developed by legacy companies.

These tax credits have helped companies simply compete with Tesla, nothing more and nothing less. Without them, their products likely would not have done as well as they have. That’s why these companies are now suddenly backtracking.

It’s something Elon Musk has said all along.

Back in January, during the Q4 and Full Year 2024 Earnings Call, Musk said:

“I think it would be devastating for our competitors and for Tesla slightly. But, long term, it probably actually helps Tesla, that would be my guess.”

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In July of last year, Musk said on X:

“Take away all the subsidies. It will only help Tesla.”

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Over the past few years, Tesla has started to lose its market share in the U.S., mostly because more companies have entered the EV manufacturing market and more models are being offered.

Nobody has been able to make a sizeable dent in what Tesla has done, and although its market share has gotten smaller, it still holds nearly half of all EV sales in the U.S.

Tesla’s EV Market Share in the U.S. By Year

    • 2020 – 79%
    • 2021 – 72%
    • 2022 – 62%
    • 2023 – 55%
    • 2024 – 49%

As others are adjusting to what they believe will be tempered demand for their EVs, Tesla has just reported its strongest quarter in company history, with just shy of half a million deliveries.

Will Tesla thrive without the EV tax credit? Five reasons why they might

Although Tesla benefited from the EV tax credit, particularly last quarter, some believe it will have a small impact since it has been lost. The company has many other focuses, with its main priority appearing to be autonomy and AI.

One thing is for sure: Musk was right.

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Tesla ownership without home charging: Here’s how it’s done

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Credit: Tesla

I bought a Tesla without having perhaps the biggest advantage of owning an electric vehicle: home charging.

People told me it could be done, others said it eliminated the purpose of owning an EV. I knew I wanted a Tesla, and I knew I could probably get away with not having access to charging at home.

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

The strategy I planned to use without having home charging was pretty simple: there’s a Supercharger a few miles away, and there’s also low-level charging at my local grocery store. The Model Y also came with a Mobile Connector, so there was another way I could charge in a pinch.

There are also some distinct advantages I have over others, including the fact that I do not commute to and from work, and I’m also situated only a handful of miles from things like the store and shopping, and most of my errands can be completed without driving more than 15 miles back and forth.

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A common misconception about being reliant on Supercharging is the cost. Many believe that Supercharging is so expensive that it costs about the same as buying gas.

However, there are many workarounds for that, some of which I have used weekly to save money and increase convenience.

Here’s how I’ve made it work, and how I suggest you can too:

Charge During Off-Peak Hours as Much as Possible

The biggest tip I have for those who choose to buy an EV but do not have access to at-home charging is the advantage that is off-peak rates.

At my local Supercharger, it costs $0.47 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and just $0.18 from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.

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That means if you can wake up a little earlier or go to bed a little bit later, you’ll save nearly three times the money. This is not to say that I never charge during peak hours, but I try to save the longer charges for off-peak hours, and it’s been a huge advantage for me.

One morning recently, I was at 9 percent and I charged to 90 percent. It only cost me about $11. Charging during peak hours, that same charge would have been roughly $26.

Tesla Supercharger access has proven to be a challenge for one company

In my Bronco Sport, going from 40 miles to a full tank, roughly 400 miles, would have cost me well over $40.

It’s not so bad either. The Supercharger I use is located at a Sheetz, so I’m able to go in, grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich, charge, watch YouTube in the car, and sometimes, I even get to enjoy a nice sunrise on the way home.

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If I have to go at night, my Fiancè and I usually use the opportunity to spend time together. We’ll run over to the Supercharger, grab snacks, and watch whatever we’re binging on Netflix (right now, it’s Narcos).

Many people said that Supercharging would cost me more than filling up my gas car. According to my Tesla app, that simply isn’t the case.

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While I have been forced to charge during peak hours at times for about a month and a half, in about fifteen charging sessions, I’ve saved about $70. Over the course of a year, that would equate to over $800.

Utilize Other Charging Solutions

Although my Charging Stats above show that I’ve only used it 1 percent of the time, I have the advantage of free charging at my grocery store.

It is a Shell Recharge EV charging station, and there are two of them at the store. I used my J1772 adapter to charge, and it charges slowly at 11.5 kW.

However, it is great if you’re doing your shopping for the week and you’re stuck at the store for an hour or two. If you have one or two of these at your grocery store, just remember to be courteous and charge until you have a reasonable amount of range.

What I’ll Do Moving Forward

One ongoing effort has been pushing my leasing office to install a few EV chargers in our neighborhood. Because we rent, we are truly at the mercy of what the leasing office will allow and what they’ll do to make the lives of EV owners easier.

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I’m hoping to continue pushing the management company to a point that will eventually get EV chargers in the neighborhood, especially while I live here and for those who will live here after we leave.

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Tesla widens rollout of new Full Self-Driving suite to more owners

Tesla started rolling out Full Self-Driving v14 nearly two weeks ago, but it was a very controlled release that made its way to only a small group of owners who are part of the EAP.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla is widening its rollout of the new Full Self-Driving suite to more owners, after it had been confined to those in the Early Access Program (EAP) for a couple of weeks.

Tesla started rolling out Full Self-Driving v14 nearly two weeks ago, but it was a very controlled release that made its way to only a small group of owners who are part of the EAP.

It seemed logical to keep things tight; v14 was Tesla’s first major FSD release in a year, and it featured a handful of new features, including a new, slower driving profile known as “Sloth,” and the ability to park in an area at the destination that was designated by the driver.

There were also other improvements, including parking garage navigation, yielding for emergency vehicles, better recognition and handling for road debris, and a more refined ride experience overall. So far, it has been the best FSD suite Tesla has rolled out, capable of more than any previous release.

However, it has only been available to that small group of EAP Tesla owners. Now, it appears Tesla is starting to roll out Full Self-Driving v14 to more owners for the first time with v14.1.2:

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Tesla rolled out FSD v14.1.2 for the first time last night, introducing further refinements to the initial two v14 iterations that were made available to owners, as well as the new Mad Max Speed Profile, which offers higher speeds during travel and more lane changes.

Tesla launches ‘Mad Max’ Full Self-Driving Speed Profile, its fastest yet

The first reviews of the Mad Max Speed Profile have been raving with positivity. Owners praise its ability to handle congestion and heavy traffic, as well as its decisiveness and reduced hesitation, which other Profiles have been noted for in the past two v14 releases.

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The expansion of the FSD suite, especially with this new version, will make so many owners happy, as the release has been slow, controlled, and exclusive. Now that it is making its way to more Tesla owners, we will see more refinements and features in the coming weeks.

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