Tesla Says a Texas Lawmaker Wants to Block It From Servicing Its Own Cars in the State

A new bill in the Texas Senate has Tesla owners concerned it could prevent the company from servicing its own cars in the state, and the company is now in talks with legislators about what it sees as a "targeted attack."Dallas-Fort Worth is home to two of Texas' six Tesla service centers, which some fear would be banned by the bill from servicing electric vehicles beginning Sept. 1. In a statement Tuesday, the company said language in S.B. 1415 added "servicing" and "repairing" to the definition of dealership activity – which would be prohibited for manufacturers."The result would be to threaten Tesla's maintenance facilities in Texas and leave Tesla drivers with very little recourse in terms of keeping their vehicles running safely in the state," the company said of the bill.State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, told The Dallas Morning News Tuesday that the code the bill would amend has long been on the books. He said that after reaching out to the Department of Motor Vehicles, his office determined that Tesla was actually in violation of existing law.If you've ever seen one of Tesla's Apple-like showrooms inside Texas' malls and shopping centers, you've likely noticed one thing: You already can't buy the cars here. Tesla's vehicles have to be shipped from other states to Texas when customers buy them, and plenty do, because of laws in Texas that prohibit them from selling directly.  Continue reading...