Nearly half of US dealerships ‘not excited at all’ to sell EVs; study finds

A new study indicates 49% of US dealerships aren’t very excited to sell EVs.

The study published by CDK Global which provides dealership management system (DMS) software to US dealers included feedback from 250 dealerships in regions across all 50 states, GM Authority reports.

“The level of enthusiasm was broken down into three levels: Not excited at all, Moderately excited, and Very excited.

The study found that enthusiasm varied markedly between different US regions.

“For example, 75% of auto dealerships in the Mountain region indicated that they were not excited at all about selling EVs, while the remaining 25% indicated moderate excitement.

“In the East South-Central region 89% said they were not excited at all, 6% expressed moderate excitement, and 6% said they were very excited,” says GM Authority.

“The Mid-Atlantic region was another pessimistic area, with 84% expressing no excitement at all, 10% expressing moderate excitement, and 7% saying they were very excited.

“Among those dealers that were less enthusiastic, several concerns were expressed, with wide temperature swings, mountainous terrain, and long distances between communities all serving as region-specific barriers to EV enthusiasm.”

The New England region had the most excitement, with 25% very excited to sell EVs, 17% moderately excited, and 59% not excited at all.

In the Pacific region, 10% of dealers were very excited, 36% were moderately excited, and 54% were not excited at all.

In spite of widespread pessimism, EV segment growth continues and experts expect a second wave of EV shoppers to enter the market later this decade, says GM Authority.

CDK Global suggests dealer staff should be well-trained to educate customers about EVs, focusing on the benefits of EV ownership, incentives, range, charging options, and maintenance.