In New Jersey, Tesla won’t have a chance to take lawmakers in Trenton for a test drive to win hearts and minds. After Republican House Speaker Thomas Tillis took a spin in the car, his chamber never voted on the bill. Instead of unleashing just lawyers, Tesla took its Model S to the state capitol, according to the Charlotte Observer. Last year, a bill was introduced in North Carolina that would prevent Tesla from selling its luxury vehicles in the state. The EV upstart has also won a round of court battles in Minnesota. Tesla has fought and won in other states, with favorable court decisions in Massachusetts and New York, according to Automotive News. In the meantime, Tesla has devised a complicated work-around in the state. The two Tesla-backed bills did not even make it to the floor, which could mean a long wait before Tesla can try again in the Lone Star State, as the legislature will not meet again until 2015. The bills would have created an exemption to the current law that prohibits factory-owned dealerships. A two-month effort to pass bills in the Texas legislature that would allow Tesla Motors to sell electric cars directly to consumers failed last summer after lawmakers failed to vote on the issue before adjourning. New Jersey is not the first state to make it difficult for Tesla to operate outside the domain of traditional auto dealerships. “This model is not just a matter of selling more cars and providing optimum consumer choice for Americans,” the blog states, “but it is also about educating consumers about the benefits of going electric, which is central to our mission to accelerate the shift to sustainable transportation, a new paradigm in automotive technology.”

Tesla’s approach to sell directly is critical, the company maintains, because it is selling a new technology. Until yesterday, we were under the impression that all parties were working in good faith,” Tesla wrote on its company blog. “Since 2013, Tesla Motors has been working constructively with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) and members of Governor Christie’s administration to defend against the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers’ (NJ CAR) attacks on Tesla’s business model and the rights of New Jersey consumers. Christie’s administration expedited a rule proposal this week that would curtail Tesla Motor’s ability to sell directly to customers through its stores.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may be in hot water over who knew what when regarding the bridge lane closures on the George Washington Bridge last September, but it is the latest transportation-related maneuver by his administration that has people protesting from Fort Lee, NJ to Fremont, Calif.

Yep energy nj