Iowa lawmakers say there is little appetite to change the rules that prompted state regulators to ban Tesla Motors from offering test drives here.
Current laws require car dealers to be licensed and prohibit auto manufacturers from selling directly to the public. Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation say that means the electric carmaker can't offer test drives without receiving a license or opening a dealership here.
State Sen. Matt McCoy, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, test drove a Tesla last year in another state and said he hopes to buy one when the company comes out with a cheaper model. But the Des Moines Democrat said he thinks Tesla should follow the same rules that require other carmakers to sell through independent dealerships.
"I have mixed feelings about it because I really like the car and I really like what the car stands for," he said. "But in Iowa we tend to respect our system and the way it was set up, and I don't see any appetite to change that."
State Rep. Peter Cownie, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said he hasn't heard from lobbyists for Tesla or Iowa's auto dealerships, an indication that there isn't much desire to change the rules to allow Tesla to sell directly to the public.
"You can't have two sets of rules," the West Des Moines Republican said. "That would create an unfair playing field for the small business owners and small car dealers."
