Selling electric cars can be challenging. They’re not like gas-powered vehicles, which have some strong selling points that dealerships have stressed for years. Electric vehicles (EVs) are much different — more tech-savvy and futuristic.
Tesla embraced a retail style of car sales during its formative years in the 2010s and heavily embraced online ordering. It’s paid off for them. Buying a car is much different than it was during the peak of the American automobile, but dealerships still serve many rural and small-town regions.
Embracing this new era, General Motors (GM) will have Chevy dealers take a new training course by the end of autumn. Up to 7,000 dealers will learn how to better market EVs in person. So far, the program is in five states, but Chevy wants to expand to the entire nation.
The car company invites sales consultants from EV-certified dealerships to teach dealers how EVs are smart investments, walk customers through all necessary equipment like a home charger and a port adapter, and explain maintenance requirements.
The program comes after GM posted a strong second quarter of 2024. EV sales hit record highs, with 21,000 EVs sold from July to August, and sales through August were up about 70% from last year, CNBC said.
GM moved closer to its domestic rivals, Ford and Tesla, and international rival Hyundai.
“It’s a step change in terms of our EV performance,” Roy Harvey, GM president of global markets, told the financial news channel.
Photo Courtesy General Motors
Chevy’s EV lineup continues expanding and earning top reviews. The Bolt, Equinox, and Blazer EV carried the brand for a long time, but the long-anticipated Silverado EV could take them even closer to Ford. A new-generation Bolt is also expected to come out next year.
So far, the training has been conducted in Monticello, New York, Fort Worth, Texas, and Atlanta. Las Vegas and Indianapolis are next, with more sessions expected next year.
According to a survey after the training, Chevy dealers went from three out of 10 feeling prepared for EV selling to eight out of 10. They learned how to discuss cold-weather performance and how a 300- or 400-mile range could accommodate a lot of driving, similar to internal combustion power.
Having a more prepared dealership network can boost consumer confidence in EVs. More charging networks, including the EVGo and IONNA networks, are popping up across the country. Tesla Superchargers are now becoming the standard charging port after the North American Charging Standard was passed two summers ago.
Photo Courtesy General Motors
GM’s Ultium EV platform has helped them roll out EVs faster. It’s already been used on several models, and many future ones will have it. This quick rollout will get the automaker closer to its rivals, and as more EV tax credits become available, give drivers more options. However, in the end, customer demand will continue to drive EV sales numbers.
Harvey told CNBC he expects some ups and downs en route to GM’s 2035 goal of exclusively all-electric offerings. The carmaker will tweak its strategy when necessary and remain steadfast that its EV investments will pay off in the long term.
