Calls for more independent electric car dealerships nationwide

As New Zealand’s electric vehicle uptake grows, so too does focus on the industry’s ability to supply second-hand models independently.

Co-founder of Christchurch EV dealership EV City Dave Boot says he is disappointed to not see more specialist plug-in dealerships sprout up around the country.

“It’s really disappointing to see that there’s not more dealers giving it a go,” he told AutoTalk.

“It’s not a common thing for people to hear us say.

“People might think that we’re the only player in the market here in Christchurch, but that’s not the case. There are a number of reasonably good EV dealers here.

“[But] we want to see more, and we want to see more EVs on the road. Competition is good for the customers, and we want more [EVs] out there.”

A steady increase in demand for plug-in models has been compounded by international supply shortages, with New Zealand distributors often having to wait in light for vehicle allocation behind the likes of North America and Europe.

This phenomena has subsequently aided the delay of numerous EV launches in New Zealand, ranging from the Skoda Enyaq iV and Volkswagen ID.4, to Ford New Zealand’s ongoing efforts to secure the Mustang Mach-E.

This provides a window of opportunity for independent dealers like EV City to secure privately imported second-hand models yet to be launched to the market, beating local distributors to the punch.

The Christchurch dealer held an open evening event late last week, where it showcased one of the first Tesla Model Ys to hit the country, as well as one of the first Mustang Mach-Es.

Boot states that demand for these models is strong, too. Both the Model Y and Mustang were quickly purchased by eager customers, both of which took delivery over the weekend.

His belief is that some dealers “fear” selling electric vehicles, due to customers often having more knowledge of the emerging technology than they do.

“It’s something which unfortunately a lot of traditional ICE dealers still really fear,” he said

“The reason for that I think is that the customers that are buying the vehicles off them, they know a lot more about [EVs] than the dealer does.

“It’s not hard to read a few things, to get on some of the forums and learn. I think that’s just a case of fear of the unknown.

“I suppose it’s like people who were selling horses when the first car came along, didn’t want a bar of it.

“If you asked a man what he would’ve wanted, he probably would’ve said ‘a faster horse’. But that’s not the case anymore.”