Washington lawmakers are racing to pass legislation to let Rivian and Lucid sell their EVs directly to consumers. The push follows years of dealership opposition — and Rivian’s threat to bypass legislators entirely with a November ballot initiative.
The Senate on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 6354 with 46 yeas and three Democrats voting no. The bill has a House hearing Thursday.
Twelve years ago, Tesla won a hard-fought battle giving it alone the right to do direct sales in an era when electric vehicles were a new technology.
For years, EV makers have battled to level the sales playing field with Tesla. Because Rivian and Lucid have not sold through dealerships, their Washington customers have had to purchase their vehicles online or out-of-state and have not been able to easily test drive the EVs.
The bill provides a narrow exemption for the two additional EV automakers, meaning that other manufacturers and EV newcomers are still banned from direct sales. SB 6354 includes a $10,000 penalty for automakers that break the law and conduct direct sales or leases.
The legislation also increases the vehicle dealer documentary service fee from $200 to $250 for a decade, allocating some of those funds to state accounts supporting EV purchases for low-income shoppers and public transit.
SB 6354 has budget impacts and is therefore exempt from most legislative deadlines. The session is scheduled to end March 12.
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