Tesla Motors Inc. is opening its first gallery in North Texas on Friday at the Northpark Mall in Dallas.
The electric car company is currently banned from selling its electric vehicles in the state, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
"The law in Texas is really challenging for us," said Alexis Georgeson, spokeswoman for Tesla. "The law in Texas prevents us from being able to sell cars. We can't give test drives. We can't discuss price. We can't take orders."
Texans interested in buying Tesla vehicles have to order them online and have them registered in California. The car then has to be shipped and re-registered in Texas within 90 days after it's delivered, Automotive News reported.
The company's first gallery in Texas was opened in Houston in October 2011. Another gallery was opened last year in Austin. Georgeson said the galleries have been extremely helpful in marketing its cars in the state.
"Our galleries create strong awareness for our product," she said. "[They] are our advertising."
Tesla's Model S will be featured in the Dallas gallery, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported. The all-electric vehicle can go 300 miles on one electric charge. It can go as fast as 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds and has 416 horsepower. The car has no gas engine, transmission, or oil, and instead, relies on a 1,200-pound battery.
Because Tesla is unable to sell cars in the state, it is calling the new facility a "gallery" instead of a store.
"We have a lot of early adapters here, people who are interested in the technology," Georgeson said. "We've noticed a lot of interest here with people that want to know more about the company and electric vehicles in general."
Tesla saw success in its push to sell cars in other states this week, after the New Jersey State Assembly passed a bill that would allow Tesla to directly sell cars to consumers, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law legislation that will let the automaker continue working out of its five company-owned stores. However, Tesla can only open a limited amount of additional sites in New York under the new law. The company currently runs 52 stores across 17 states in the U.S. and Canada. It also has galleries in Maryland, New Jersey, Arizona, and now Texas, and plans to open stores in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Tennessee.
Georgeson stated that while the company will keep running its galleries in Texas, officials are looking to fight the law again next year, in hopes of being able to sell cars in the state.
"We will continue to operate galleries in accordance with Texas law until, hopefully, we can get the legislation overturned," she stated.
