New Jersey Tesla owners are receiving a pointed email from the company this week, and the message is straightforward: act now, or lose access to autonomous vehicle technology in the state, check out. The email, which targets NJ-based customers directly, warns that Tesla Alerts New Jersey Owners about legislation advancing through Trenton that could effectively shut driverless vehicles out of the market — and not just Tesla’s fleet.
The proposed bills, S. 1677 and A. 3968, are drawing sharp criticism from Tesla, which characterizes the restrictions as legally discriminatory rather than safety-driven.
Specifically, Tesla’s position is that these bills don’t just regulate autonomous vehicles — they single out Tesla by name, functionally banning its AV technology from New Jersey roads while competitors face different standards. That’s a significant accusation, and one the company isn’t mincing words about.
“Legislation that bans Tesla’s proven AV technology from the market is not caution — it’s anti-competitive favoritism,” the email states. It’s a pointed framing, and one that reorients the debate from safety to market access.
Of course, safety data does factor into Tesla’s argument. New Jersey recorded 578 traffic fatalities last year, and the company points to the widely cited statistic that over 94% of serious crashes involve human error — impairment, distraction, or fatigue. Autonomous vehicles, the email notes, don’t get tired, drunk, or distracted.
Beyond the competitive and commercial implications, Tesla raises a case that’s harder to dismiss: for older adults and residents with disabilities who cannot drive, autonomous vehicles aren’t a luxury feature. They’re a meaningful pathway to independence. Every delay, the company argues, is a delay felt most acutely by the people who need this technology the most.
States that have moved forward with AV deployment are already reporting measurable safety improvements. New Jersey, meanwhile, risks positioning itself on the wrong side of that trajectory — not through inaction, but through active legislative restriction.
Tesla is urging customers to contact their state legislators directly, requesting that lawmakers fix the existing bills and support AV policy that prioritizes safety outcomes, open competition, and expanded resident access.
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