Bloomberg reports that New Jersey state assemblyman Tim Eustace, a Democrat from Maywood, has sponsored a bill that would allow electric car retailers, like Tesla Motors (TSLA), sell directly to consumers in the Garden State.
The move follows the March 11 vote of New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission, which consists of members of Republican Governor Chris Christie’s cabinet and other gubernatorial appointees, to effectively block Tesla from resuming normal operations within state borders. Gov. Christie’s decision to oppose Tesla’s unique retail concept of selling its popular electric cars through its stores rather than use the traditional dealer model, not only made it impossible for the upstart automaker to sell directly from its stores in New Jersey from April 1, but it also made it impossible for the company to open any new stores in the state.
“What we should be doing is supporting American entrepreneurs and American businesses,” said Eustace, who drives an all-electric Nissan LEAF.
As Inside EVs reported, Eustace’s measure would allow any all-electric automaker to sell directly in New Jersey, while state Senator Raymond Lesniak has introduced a similar amendment that would allow Tesla to operate autonomously until electric cars reach a critical mass, which was suggested to be 4 percent of all cars sold in the U.S.
Tesla shares are down around $10 today, trading at $219 and change as of 2:04 PM ET.
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