Texas refuses to subsidise Teslas for ditching dealers

Although Tesla has moved its headquarters to Texas and opened a factory in the US state, Tesla’s electric cars remain excluded from the subsidy programme in Texas for electrified vehicles. The reason is Tesla’s direct sales without an intermediary dealer, which is an exclusion criterion for the subsidy programme.

Laura Lopez, a media and community relations manager for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, explained Tesla’s absence in a statement: “The program currently requires that eligible vehicles must be purchased or leased from a licensed new vehicle dealer or leasing company in Texas. Under Texas law, vehicles purchased directly from the manufacturer or an out-of-state dealer not licensed to sell or lease new vehicles in Texas are not eligible for a rebate.”

The buyers aren’t missing all that much though: the Texan rebate programme offers rebates of up to $2,500 for the purchase or lease of specific electric and electrified vehicles. The list of eligible cars is extensive, comprising 142 different models.
teslarati.com