Maryland is the latest state that will explicitly allow Tesla to sell cars direct to consumers. Earlier today, May 12, 2015, Delegate Kirill Reznik, co-sponsors, representatives from Tesla Motors, and several of us from the public who supported the bill, watched as Governor Larry Hogan signed HB 235 into law at the State House in Annapolis.
The bill signing was part of a ceremony where 350 pieces of legislation passed by the 2015 Maryland General Assembly were signed by the Governor.
Delegate Reznik, pictured above, initiated the effort to open Maryland to Tesla sales when he learned from a news article that Maryland was one of the few states that didn’t allow Tesla employees to engage in sales activities such as helping customers place an order online or even tell visitors to its gallery in Bethesda the price of the car and options.
In February, Jeff Cadman, Bob Erdman and I went to Annapolis to show support for the bill at a hearing in the Environment and Transportation Committee. Bob and I spoke in favor of the bill on a panel as individual citizens.
Model S driver and early Tesla supporter, Peter Soukup, was very happy to see progress in his home state that will ease the way for more Maryland residents to drive a Tesla. This was a good day for electric vehicles and the people who want to drive them.
