Overcoming Barriers to Electric Car Sales: Challenges and Solutions
Due to their lower maintenance needs and environmentally friendly benefits, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a more popular choice for many drivers. In 2022, the United States saw a 55% increase in EV sales, and by 2030, it's estimated that half of US vehicle sales will be EVs.*
However, some challenges remain when it comes to EV sales and how to prepare your dealership for this automotive trend. To address the challenges and the solutions to overcoming barriers to EV car sales, we hear from NCM Associates’ Education Team Lead, Rick Ulin.
Understanding EV Infrastructure
Before making big changes to your dealership, it’s important to understand EV infrastructure. This includes the growing charging infrastructure as well as proper EV maintenance tools. According to Rick Ulin, “The [EV] change is underway, driven not by consumer demand, but by outside influences. Dealers will need to be cautiously optimistic, but fully willing to accept the pain forcing the transition will bear.”
Ultimately, the marketplace will be ruled by consumer choice, and because the rate of technological advancement is at an all-time high, the EV transition may veer off course.
How do you then support your dealership with improved EV sales while ensuring long-term dealership success? Here are our top solutions:
Integrate EV Technician Development Programs
To properly work on EVs and ensure the safety of your technicians and the vehicle’s technology, you need a different set of tools and training. Dealers should begin the process of creating EV technician development programs in-house, so everyone on the team is properly trained to service EVs.
Rick Ulin adds, “The ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) technician shortfall in the US hovers around 80,000 per month…roughly 4.5 per dealer over some 16,770 US dealers. We can anticipate a fair amount of ICE technicians to retire out, rather than transition, making the number even more challenging.”
Improve Consumer and Sales Team Education
Your dealership can shift its marketing approach and access to EV education to encourage more EV sales. Plan marketing messaging around the long-term savings of EVs and the availability of charging stations.
Keep your sales staff up to date on the latest developments in the EV market, as well, such as the total cost of ownership (TCO), battery and range specifications, and the development of charging infrastructure across your state.
The Customer Dealership Experience
Electric vehicles present consumers with a variety of new opportunities on the road; however, most of the customer base will still want access to quality ICE vehicles.
Rick Ulin believes this to be a positive thing, as more related conversations are occurring: “We are early in the transition, and consumers and dealers alike are asking more and more questions…I do not think it’s far-fetched at all to think that we will have EVs that have a substantial range (600-800 miles per charge), that can recharge relatively quickly, [in] any number of places…We are just beginning!”
With 75 years of experience improving dealer performance, NCM Associates can provide personalized solutions to help your dealership overcome the carriers of EV sales. Contact us to learn more about preparing your dealership for EV sales!
* https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2023/executive-summary