Anti-Tesla States Jabbed With Luddite ‘Award’

The votes are in for the inaugural Luddite Awards, intended to call out the stifling of innovation. The winners of the dubious honor are four states which banned Tesla Motors from selling its electric cars directly to consumers.

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation bestowed the awards on Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey and Texas. These states, under pressure from car dealership associations, created their Tesla bans to enforce decades-old regulations barring manufacturers from vending right to consumers. While the laws were designed to protect small dealerships, they have made it harder for startup Tesla to sell its cars in those areas.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

The Huffington Post