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Direct Sales · EV Regulation · Lucid · Rivian
Washington State passed Senate Bill 6354, allowing luxury electric vehicle manufacturers Rivian and Lucid to sell directly to customers from showrooms, bypassing traditional dealerships, after bipartisan legislative support and private negotiations with the Washington State Auto Dealers Association.
The legislation, awaiting Governor Bob Ferguson's signature by April 4, prevents Rivian from pursuing a costly $44.5 million ballot initiative, as stated by Mark Funk of the Washington Coalition for Consumer Choice and Innovation. The bill restricts eligibility to U.S. companies exclusively producing battery EVs, with at least 300 cars registered in Washington by January 1, 2026, and no prior franchise agreements, effectively barring legacy automakers like Ford and Toyota and inexpensive Chinese EVs from direct sales.
The bill also increases the certificate of title fee from $15 to $40, with 35% of the $25 increase funding used EV rebates for low-income families and the remainder supporting bus, bike, and pedestrian projects. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing major automakers, opposes the bill as anti-competitive, with Curt Augustine stating it creates an unfair advantage for Rivian and Lucid and sets a precedent for other EV makers, including government-supported Chinese firms, to demand similar access.
