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Elon Musk says yes to The Oatmeal's $8M request for Nikola Tesla museum

Matthew Inman is known for his lengthy, often wordy online comics called The Oatmeal. He's also a huge fan of Nikola Tesla, and helped gather $1.37 million via crowdfunding in 2012 to buy up Tesla's laboratory and set the stage for a Tesla museum, the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe. It was such an Internet hit that Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk even chipped in $2,500 and Tweeted that he "will do more in the future." Well, Inman is getting ready to call in that favor. Yesterday, The Oatmeal published a glowing review of sorts on how great the all-electric Model S is (slightly NSFW). In it we learned that Inman is bonkers in love with his EV, calling it his "intergalactic spaceboat of light and wonder" and saying the acceleration is "freaky." He adores the door handles, the frunk, the advanced powertrain and pretty much everything else. In fact, part one is so positive it reads like an over-the-top Tesla advertorial. But then comes part two, where Inman gets down to business. Musk simply said, "I would be happy to help." See, the $1.37 million was used to buy Nikola Tesla's property but was not enough to actually, you know, build the museum. To do that, the Science Center needs another $8 million. And guess who has those kinds of funds? How about a billionaire who is using the Tesla name and is already a fan of the museum idea? That's right, one Elon Musk. And part 2 of The Oatmeal's comic is an argument for why Musk should fork over the $8 million to help pay for the museum. Inman says it is, "A polite request from a humongous fan" and adds that, "You owe us nothing, and you've done nothing but good things in the name of Nikola Tesla. But the fact remains: Tesla Motors, a company now worth billions, is using Nikola Tesla's name, and they're using his technology, and all we want in return is a little bit of help." Inman says that $8 million is "the bare minimum to build, staff, and maintain a Nikola Tesla Museum," and that the number was reached after getting "countless estimates from site planners, architects, and museum curators from all around the world." Something like $6 million would be good, he writes, but, "any less than $8M would pretty much leave us in the same boat we're in now." Tesla hasn't offered up an official statement, but on Twitter, Musk simply said, "I would be happy to help." Not sure what that means, exactly, but it's probably not going to make Inman hate his car any time soon.

'Pro-Tesla' bill in Pennsylvania gets Auto Alliance to end neutral stance

Unlike dealership groups all over the country, one automaker group isn't taking issue with Tesla Motors being able to sell its electric vehicles through company-owned stores in Pennsylvania. But the idea of no limits on its number of stores? That's a problem. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers – which has been neutral on the Tesla dealer fight thus far – is now squawking about a recent law in the Keystone State allowing the California-based company to sell cars through its stores there, Automotive News says. The group doesn't have a problem with the idea in general, but the fact that there's no cap on either the number of stores Tesla can operate or how many cars it can sell there is causing the Alliance to speak out on the issue. And while the Pennsylvania Automotive Association is okay with the new law, the Alliance is alleging a non-level playing field in favor of Tesla. Tesla declined to comment to AutoblogGreen. The prospect of Tesla skipping over the third-party dealer franchise phase has garnered plenty of recent attention, especially from regulators and dealership representatives. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urged Missouri and New Jersey to change policies that would further prohibit car makers like Tesla from selling their vehicles directly to customers and without a third-party dealership. In April, FTC officials called called the prohibition of direct company-to-customer sales "protectionist" and "bad policy."

Connecticut might allow direct Tesla sales

Add Connecticut to the list of states that may let Tesla Motors sell its electric vehicles directly to the public without third-party dealerships. And add Connecticut dealership organizations to the list of groups decrying such an allowance. The cold weather has no impact on that rather heated discussion, apparently. Late last week, Connecticut legislators discussed the possibility of exempting Tesla from the current state law requiring a third-party distributor to sell cars, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Tesla, which already has a vehicle-repair facility in Milford, may be allowed to have a handful of dealerships throughout the Nutmeg State. The issue gained momentum last month when Art Linares, a Republican senator from Connecticut, had to go to a dealership in White Plains, NY, to buy his Tesla Model S. That effort has given credence to the argument that the state is losing business and revenue-collecting opportunities by forcing buyers to go to neighboring states such as New York or Massachusetts to shop for and ultimately buy a Tesla. Earlier this month, Arizona's House Commerce Committee moved a little closer to allowing direct Tesla sales there by voting in favor of House Bill 2216. States like Texas, Michigan and New Jersey remain holdouts in preserving the current dealership laws and preventing direct Tesla sales.