New Jersey's Tesla Smackdown Is Fair, but Dumb

Are car dealers relics in 2014?

That's the heart of the argument between New Jersey and Tesla. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission voted on Tuesday to ban direct sales of Tesla in the state, starting April 1.

The press, particularly tech blogs that are justifiably enamored with Tesla, were quick to frame the conflict as New Jersey vs. Progress and intimated that the state's MVC is in the pocket of a powerful car dealers' lobbying group

"I don’t doubt that moves to block Tesla sales are merely short-term pauses — raise your hand if you actually think that local dealer groups can hold back the tide of change," wrote Alex Wilhelm of TechCrunch. "Banning Tesla is an index of the corruptness of state governments as banning Uber is of city governments," tweeted Paul Graham, an influential Silicon Alley investor Read more...