The Christie administration is weighing a move Tuesday that would make it a lot harder to buy a Tesla in New Jersey.
The state’s Motor Vehicle Commission has scheduled a hearing in Trenton that would ban the direct sale of cars to consumers.
That would mean cars could only be sold through independent dealerships — and since Tesla owns its own showrooms, it couldn’t abide by the new law.
Tesla operates two showrooms: one in the Short Hills Mall and the other in a mall in Paramus.
The proposed rule also would require dealers to operate showrooms of at least 1,000 square feet, with room to show two cars, plus maintain a service department. Currently that’s not the case.
The electric car company charged on its blog that the Christie administration “has gone back on its word,” saying it thought it had reached an agreement to delay the proposed rule.