Letters: Tesla Doesn’t Threaten Dealers

Recent publications in The Courant have highlighted a common concern that the direct sale of electric vehicles from manufacturers to consumers will result in job losses at car dealerships [May 23, Letters, “Dealerships Matter“; May 23, courant.com, “Auto Dealers Fighting Tesla Pitch to Sell Cars Directly to Customers“]. Analysis done by Acadia Center, however, demonstrates that this suspicion is unfounded.

Acadia Center demonstrated that no jobs have been lost at car dealerships in its report “Direct Sales of Electric Vehicles in Connecticut: Assessment of Employment Impacts at Existing Car Dealerships.” The analysis looked at all major occupations within the auto dealership employment sector in nearby states that allow for electric vehicle direct sales, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the New York Department of Labor.

Read the full letter to the editor in the Hartford Courant here.