South Carolina Direct Sales Bill in Legislature – CBT Automobile News

A bill that would allow electric vehicle manufacturers to be sold directly to consumers in South Carolina has stopped in the legislature, effectively terminating its chances for this session. The legislators voted on Wednesday to postpone the debate on the Law on Freedom of Consumer in South Carolina, and so far they stop any more discussions.

The proposed legislation aims to enable automakers without previous franchising agreements to bypass traditional dealers and sell vehicles directly to customers. It also strives to allow manufacturers to manage their own service centers.

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Proponents, including Scout Motors and Tesla, claim that the bill will expand the choice of consumers and help South Carolina compete with other countries. Scout Motors, which is currently building an EV plant in Richland County, stressed the irony that workers who assemble intelligence vehicles in the state will not be able to buy them directly.

Opponents, especially franchising dealers, say the bill will give manufacturers of EV unfair advantage. They stressed that car manufacturers were familiar with South Carolina dealers’ laws before entering the market and expressed concerns about potential losses of jobs in the state dealer network.

Some legislators have shared concerns about the impact of the bill on dealers’ jobs. While Scout Motors is expected to create 4,000 jobs, the existing South Carolina dealer network maintains approximately 18,000 jobs, raising questions about wider economic compromises.

With the debate, the bill will not continue this session, but legislators have noted that such a measure can be re -introduced in the future.