WARWICK, R.I. — Electric car-maker Tesla's stop-start plan to set up shop in Rhode Island appears to be back in gear.

The state Motor Vehicle Dealers License and Hearing Board earlier this month approved Tesla's application to sell vehicles from a building on Bald Hill Road, across the street from the Warwick Mall.

The new location is several miles north of the 870 Quaker Lane building that Tesla received a license for late last year. The California company never reached a lease agreement with the owner of that former Hyundai dealership.

The license is subject to another state site inspection and Tesla getting a local dealers permit from Warwick. The company has a Warwick licensing hearing scheduled Oct. 9.

A Tesla spokesperson declined to comment.

The question of whether Tesla, which has stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts, would open a store in Rhode Island drew interest last year when Gov. Gina Raimondo met with the company's celebrity founder Elon Musk about business opportunities.

At the time there were legal questions about whether Tesla's business model of selling cars directly to consumers, instead of through dealerships, was legal here. State attorneys later decided it was.

"Tesla likes the business climate in Rhode Island and specifically likes the business climate in Warwick," said K. Joe Shekarchi, the House majority leader who in his legal practice has represented Tesla on local issues in Rhode Island.