iStock/Anthony Brown
The first quarter of 2016 was the best ever for electric vehicle (EV) sales in the U.S., despite incredibly low gas prices. In 2013, Tesla’s Model S was named “Car of the Year” by Motor Trend. In 2011, the Chevrolet Volt won “Automobile of the Year” by Automobile Magazine and was included on Car and Driver’s “10 Best” list. That same year, Nissan’s Leaf was named “World Car of the Year” and was honored in Popular Mechanics’ 2010 “Breakthrough Awards.” I could go on, but you get the picture.
These cars are technologically very impressive, consumers are clearly interested, and the fact people can receive up to $12,500 in federal and state rebates for buying or leasing one -- depending on where they live and what type of plug-in they buy -- undoubtedly sweetens the deal.
That being said, EVs must be available all over the United States, right? Unfortunately, no. Not by a long shot.
Robert John, a retired chef living outside Austin, Texas, recently tried to test drive a Chevy Volt. When he couldn’t locate one at a local dealership, he finally called a dealer back to ask where he could go to find one. After he waited more than 20 minutes for them to check their inventory data, he was finally told there were no Volts within a thousand miles of him. When he asked why that was, the person he spoke to apologized that she could not answer his question and thought there must be a mistake with their system.
It wasn’t a mistake.
Right now, 26 models of plug-in electric vehicles from 17 automakers are available to be purchased or leased in California, but fewer than half of these models are available anywhere else in the nation. And Tesla stores, not adhering to the dealership model, are banned or restricted in a few dozen states, including in Connecticut where a Tesla ban was recently upheld.
And Robert isn’t alone.
James in New Jersey had to travel to three different dealerships in order to find one with the Nissan LEAF in stock. He eventually had to buy his LEAF in a neighboring state. Robin Woerner was looking to test drive a Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive but was told the all-electric model is no longer available in her home state, Connecticut.
The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which California pioneered a few years ago and nine other states adopted (Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut), requires automakers to sell increasing numbers of EVs in the coming years. Governors of eight of these states have committed to a combined goal of 3.3 million ZEVs on their roads by 2025.
This goal is definitely achievable, especially considering the majority of drivers in California and the northeastern states are interested in electric vehicles -- but automakers and dealers need to put greater effort into production, inventory, training, sales, and marketing in order for it to become a reality. Fortunately, among some automakers in certain areas of the country, this effort is underway and working well.
Thanks to the survey data coming in from Sierra Club’s Rev Up EVs campaign, we know that certain dealerships have plenty of EVs available for test drives and boast strong sales.
When Felipe Davila test drove a Chevy Volt this month at Courtesy Chevrolet in San Diego, he learned from Robby Holley, the sales consultant he spoke to, that the Volt is their highest selling car after the Chevy Cruz with an average of 20 to 30 Volts sold every month at their location.
“Our staff have regular monthly trainings on the Volt’s technology and maintenance,” Robby said. “I also drive one, so I can speak to customers about how great the car is as a customer myself.”
Charged magazine recently highlighted that dealerships often receive only one or two vehicles, a main reason for EV sales remaining modest. Customers need and deserve more selection.
Heath Carney, Electric Vehicle/Sustainability Manager, and John Sullivan, Dealer Principal at the Sullivan Chevrolet/Auto Group in Roseville, California, write, “At our dealerships, we have found that we need at least 10 Volts for sufficient selection, and we should have at least 20 to 30 during periods of peak demand.”
“Individual manufacturers set their own criteria and that will be unique to their dealer networks, so the inventory of electric vehicles will vary from make to make,” said Eric Cahill, who recently completed a dissertation on electric car sales at the University of California Davis. “Automakers are barred by law from forcing vehicles on dealers, but they can encourage dealers to stock a certain number or mix of EV inventory through various financial incentives.”
In fact, this article by Edmunds explains more recent findings by University of California Davis on this topic and provides some terrific tips for EV shoppers.
Automakers are required to manufacture these cars, so if the supply is not meeting the growing demand then it’s important to understand why that is and how automakers, dealers, and government agencies can work together to effectively shift that trend and improve the EV marketplace and the consumer experience.
In addition to working with automakers to fill these gaps, it is important to clarify where EVs are available to test drive and, ideally, to be leased or purchased. That’s why the Sierra Club is interested in knowing which dealerships have these cars available and which ones don’t.
We invite you to join our Rev Up EVs campaign. All you need to do is call or visit a dealerships near you, test drive an EV (if they are in stock), and let us know about your experience by filling out a short survey. We’ll provide important lessons learned from the survey results to policymakers, automakers, and auto dealers.
The increased sales of electric vehicles is an important element in the fight against climate disruption and for consumer choice. Demand is beginning to increase for these cars -- but if potential buyers have to waste their time just trying to find one to test drive, then the road to fully clean transportation will be much longer than need be.