Car dealers say they can’t sell EVs, tell Biden to slow their rollout
The US already lags far behind China and Europe, but we're going too fast, dealers say.
@arstechnica Maybe if dealers cut the $5,000 markup crap and trained their staff and techs on EVs.
@charleycali @arstechnica Also this, very much this. I was looking at a Mach E at a local dealer.....$7000 over retail. HAHAHAH No. And every time I go in, going back the Chevy Volt.....the sales critters have NO idea what the hell they are talking about. I know more than them.
@arstechnica Wrong. Lots of #LatentDemand for #EVs ... should be forecasting growth in sales instead of absolute sales.
@arstechnica lol. What they actually trying to say is “we don’t get enough profits”
Everybody knows the dealerships hate EVs and want to block the transition because they churn profits off the constant maintenance required by ICEVs, so of course that particular bedrock GOP donor-base of unrepentant climate change deniers wants to sabotage any transition away from fossil fuels, which is not happening fast enough if it could be said to be happening at all when atmospheric CO2 levels keep rising to new records.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/05/rich-republicans-party-car-dealers-2024-desantis.html
@buermann @arstechnica this was my thought as well. People talk about just needing new tires occasionally.
It’s bad for the dealership, but we have not needed dealers for a long time. It’s just inefficient and a terrible experience.
They just started rolling out EVs in the country I live in. My wife and I don’t need a car yet, but if infrastructure gets in place, we will get that over an Ice car.
@arstechnica Maybe we don’t need to slow down the rollout, but: 1) build more rural DCFC installs, 2) train dealership employees, 3) directly confront the culture war BS some have perpetuated, and 4) get carmakers to swap to NACS sooner rather than the 2025 model year. The latter is why my wife and I decided to hold off one more year vs buying now.
@arstechnica After sitting on the waiting list for a Bolt from April to November (we finally gave up and bought something else), it's hard to take this seriously. Chevy, at least, can't sell e-cars because it's not actually shipping any to dealers.
@arstechnica why the hell do we still have car dealerships? Start selling direct from manufacture so consumers don't get screw with dealership up charges.
@arstechnica it's the price tag. There are no affordable EVs for most us-ians. That's why we're mostly driving hybrids.
@alexmorse @arstechnica To be fair, we run 99% of the time on battery on our plug in. It is a good transition car.
@arstechnica Dealers can't make the profit on regular maintenance, so they charge a premium for EVS to make up for it. People stay away, and then dealers try yo claim they can't sell EVs. Market rigging
@arstechnica The up to $5k markups being added to Chevy Bolts would speak quite clearly against any significant paucity in demand https://www.carsdirect.com/automotive-news/industry-news/dealers-are-marking-up-chevy-bolt-evs-by-5-000
@arstechnica
That's because:
1. Car dealers suck. They add zero value to the purchase, but tons of friction and cost. They need to go away.
1a. When I looked at a Mustang Mach-E the dealership told me I should get all the extended warranties, because "you know how unreliable these things are”
2. Car manufacturers are still trying to make spaceships and zoomie crap. I want a Honda Accord that's electric. Stop with all the ugly and unusable cars.
3. Charging infrastructure outside of Tesla blows.
@arstechnica Could it be that they have inexpensive EVs in Europe and China? I wonder...
@arstechnica Dealers caused this problem by only ordering high trim levels, and then marking them up even further.
I had a reservation for a $60K Lariat Ford Lightning (Which was already more expensive than I really wanted to pay), but then the dealer would only offer me the $20K+ more expensive Limited Models.
I can't afford a $90K+ truck. It's ridiculous.
@arstechnica I went to a Toyota dealership the other day for a test and the guy actively discouraged me from buying a Bz4x. He really did not want me to buy that car.
@arstechnica good, fuck EVs
@arstechnica for the batteries they need to sell 1 electric monster truck, they could probably sell 3 electric hatchbacks.
@arstechnica Get more DC fast charging infrastructure, stop trying to push cars as a service, push R&D on batteries so 300 miles is the norm not the exception, and get prices under 40K and then maybe stop complaining.....
@arstechnica Seeing so many Tesla in France, I wouldn't say US lags behind Europe. But there's an explanation: price of gas!
Having almost 7€ the gallon, no wonder why people want EVs
@arstechnica the charger infrastructure needs to be much more robust, but I know many leaning hybrid for the first time.
Too many Americans drive more than 100 miles a day out of necessity.
People aren’t buying cars because they can’t afford them.
@arstechnica they’re almost all out of my price range because theyre all giant SUVs, which I don’t even want if I could afford it.
I suspect that one reason EVs are slow to adopt is because the people that want to own EVs buy used cars. New car buyers (who lean rich) either are EV enthusiasts who won’t sell the cars on, or buy gas cars.
Only about a quarter of all car sales are new cars. I want an EV but buying a new car is a horrible debt.
@arstechnica I'm surprised @Hypx hasn't booster this yet. No love for BEV's there 
@mcrocker @arstechnica It's not like I (or anyone in favor of hydrogen cars) really follow BEVs that closely. It's mostly something of a realization that BEVs aren't going to be the future.
@arstechnica just trying to milk the comparatively maintaince heavy ICE for as long as possible. Car dealers make quite a bit of money in the service department. The margins on new car sales are actually pretty low.
@arstechnica I'm pro-EV, but American buyers aren't buying them as fast as Chinese- and EU-buyers, so I feel for US dealerships a little.
@arstechnica It would significantly help if the US had more cheap EV alternatives. The Ford truck EV I wanted was $108K. Average US EV price is $66K. But it is already falling lower and will be lower than non-EVs next year supposedly.
This is an attempt by dealers to reduce the supply, resulting in a spike in the demand/supply radio, leading to a spike in retail prices and, hence, generating more profits. Demand is already high, with buyers having to wait in excess of 8 to 10 months to have certain models delivered.