The governor of Michigan signed a law into action making it illegal for Tesla Motors to sell their vehicles directly to consumers in the state. Tesla Motors is an up and coming electric car company run by Paypal inventor and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The independent company was the first to offer a completely electric sports car and is at the forefront of development lithium-ion batteries as an alternate energy source. Michigan's ties to other big car manufacturer's means it is very unlikely to have the law reversed, essentially taking away another large market of potential Tesla customers. Michigan -- along with Texas, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Missouri -- joins the fight against allowing Tesla to sell directly to consumers in their respective states.
Personally, I'm not quite sure what to make of this. On the surface it looks like these states are making these laws in the interest of other, larger car companies to protect their consumer base. It seems very unfair and counter-capitalist as it takes Tesla out of the picture to compete with larger companies. The laws also severely hinder Tesla's progress to perfecting an alternate energy source for our vehicles and elsewhere so it seems like a bad thing for all people. To me, it seems completely unfair and should be illegal in some form but I feel like there is some aspect of the issue being left out or that I don't fully understand. I think the things Tesla is doing can revolutionize the car industry, help the environment by eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels, and promote competition and progress in the car industry by entering the market. I sincerely hope this isn't some form of corporate bullying which hinders our progress into the future. Plus, by cutting out another potential market, it makes it harder for Tesla to perfect their autopilot technology, which would be awesome.
Tesla Motors Banned from Michigan
I am very surprised by this. This does seem like some kind of corperate bullying, these states are just trying to protect companies that are in competition with Tesla. Tesla is the veichle of the future, and these states are just hindering the progess for a profit. This is a perfect example of the top 1% controlling politics pruely to keep making money. I can't see any positives to this law.
ReplyDeleteI agree that these policies are anti-capitalist. They are created in the interest of protecting car dealerships and prevent competition which is important for consumers. The government shouldn't interfere in commerce in a way that is negative for consumers, but instead focus on policies that facilitate competition.
ReplyDeleteThese states are bullyied this incredible company because they are all backed by these other big manufacturers and Tesla could take over the luxury car industry. This will just create competition and help Tesla find different places to sell and build their cars motivating them to surpass the other car companies.
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