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This map shows where Tesla can and can't sell cars

The fine folks at Mojo Motors recently put together a US map showing where the Tesla Model S electric vehicles can and can't be legally sold. They marked the "legal" states in blue, "illegal" states in red and "in legislation" states in that proverbial gray area. And darn if that colorful map didn't match up pretty well with a political-party map of the country. 24 states are technically Tesla-ready. Of the 50 US states, 24 states are technically Tesla-ready, in addition to Washington, DC. And while some (California, New York, Massachusetts and Washington State) were pretty obvious, others (Mississippi and Georgia, for example) surprised us a little. We were also interested to see that Arizona and West Virginia were marked as "in legislation" but Ohio and New Jersey were not, given the fights there. In any case, Texas is red. Bright red. Tesla Supercharger locations are also marked, but Tesla's constantly updated map is likely a better source for that info after a few weeks have passed. If you'd like to dig into the nitty gritty of the various dealer franchise laws, then use the same source that Mojo Motors' marketing manager Max Katsarelas used to make the map, an article in the Georgia State University Law Review from 2002. Check out footnote 153 on page 23 for all the details. While he did integrate current news reports, Katsarelas told AutoblogGreen that he had to update the map recently after finding out that Oregon and Indiana do allow Tesla sales. With the ongoing legislation fights, we don't expect this map to remain current all that long. Still, you can even click it to enlarge. The legality of Tesla being able to sell directly to consumers without third-party dealership franchises could some day change from the patchwork you see above into a single color. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) went on record as saying that Missouri and New Jersey should reconsider its policies that would prevent automakers from direct consumer sales. It's not a national rule, but it is a step in that direction.

Tesla says Model S crash test score is best NHTSA has ever recorded

We found out a couple of weeks ago that the Tesla Model S aced the crash tests administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. What we didn't know until Tesla filled in some of the details is that the Model S scored more than five stars on the way to recording the best result of any car the NHTSA has ever tested. While NHTSA's highest public rating is five stars, the Vehicle Safety Number it gives to manufacturers can go higher, and Tesla says the Model S scored a 5.4. That's a better result than has ever been achieved in NHTSA testing of a passenger car, SUV or minivan.
Tesla's press release says that after its internal tests showed that it would score five stars on government's crash tests, it addressed any other weak points it found on the vehicle to ensure it would get perfect marks "no matter how the test equipment was configured." It was already going to do well in the frontal test, as the lack of an engine allows much more leeway in creating an occupant-saving crumple zone. And the rollover test was aided by the battery pack being located in the floor. The low center of gravity meant that the Model S couldn't be rolled over "via the normal methods and special means were needed to induce the car to roll."
Nested aluminum extrusions along the hatchback's flanks took care of the side pole intrusion test, the Model S not only scoring five stars but, according to Tesla, leaving nearly nine times more "driver residual space" post-impact than the five-star rated Volvo S60. And when the roof of the Model S was tested for crush resistance, the testing machine broke just after it crossed the four-G mark - the Model S, on the other hand, didn't.

Tesla will build first Gigafactory in Nevada

After months of guessing, the location of the first massive Tesla battery plant should be announced around 24 hours from now. A joint press conference has been called by Tesla and the Nevada Governor's office for tomorrow afternoon and the subject is likely to be that the so-called Gigafactory will be built in Reno, NV. Reno was first confirmed as a serious candidate for one of the Gigafacatory locations during Tesla's most recent shareholder call at the end of July, when the automaker said it had broken ground on a potential location there. Speculation was swirling before that that Reno would be chosen first. Tesla wouldn't directly confirm what the subject of tomorrow's announcement would be, but did give AutoblogGreen a statement that said, "Tesla looks forward to joining Governor Sandoval and legislative leaders tomorrow in Carson City at 4 pm for a major economic development announcement." We'll let you decide. When it announced the $4-5-billion Gigafactory, Tesla said it would provide up to 6,500 jobs and make enough batteries to supply 500,000 Tesla electric vehicles a year, in particular the company's next vehicle, the lower-cost Tesla Model 3. Of course, Tesla also said it would not announce the location of the battery plant until "late 2014," so we'll take everything with a grain of salt for now. Recently, the California Budget Project suggested the five states in the running for the first Gigafactory should work together so as to not give too many tax benefits to Tesla. We should find out tomorrow how much Nevada "spent" to attract the new battery plant and a host of other details. **Media Advisory** Governor Brian Sandoval to Host Press Conference for Major Economic Development Announcement Contact Mari St. Martin Communications Director (702) 250-8210 mstmartin@gov.nv.gov Carson City, NV - September 03, 2014 Governor Brian Sandoval will host a press conference tomorrow, Thursday, September 4th, for a major economic development announcement. TIME: 4:00 p.m. WHAT: Press Conference WHO: TBD LOCATION: Capitol Building 101 Carson Street Carson City, NV 89701 MEDIA: RSVP to confirm location Press set-up to begin 30 minutes before press conference ### Office of the Governor . 101 North Carson Street . Carson City, NV 89701 . (775) 684-5670 Grant Sawyer State Office Building . 555 East Washington, Ste 5100 . Las Vegas, NV 89101 . (702) 486-2500