Help is on the way as traditional dealerships pivot to sell electric cars

Auto dealerships remain a bottleneck for EV adoption, and the main reason is that salespeople lack the necessary expertise to inform customers about electric vehicles, which are still new to most car buyers. 

Above: A look at Porsche's all-electric Taycan (Flickr: L.C. Nøttaasen)

Advocacy group Plug In America has been working for a long time to change this. Now the group has announced a partnership with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) to educate franchised auto dealerships nationwide on EVs. The partnership is supported by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which will engage all vehicle manufacturers to expand dealership participation.

“Franchised dealerships play a valuable role in the national transition to electric transportation, and this training program will educate dealers about charging options, EV infrastructure, service requirements and other aspects of EV ownership,” says PIA. “This online, interactive program will be designed to complement automakers’ training and offer quick, easily digestible talking points that allow sales staff to confidently encourage potential EV buyers.”

Upon successful completion of the course, dealership sales staff will receive Plug In America’s PlugStar Bronze certification.

“The transition to electric vehicles is now inevitable and dealers play an important role in helping consumers as they make the switch,” said Joel Levin, Executive Director of Plug In America. “We are excited to work with NADA and CSE to help dealers educate consumers about the many benefits of EVs, from cleaner air to convenience to the great driving experience.”

“By bringing these two EV-focused powerhouse organizations together with NADA, we will efficiently educate dealers and help accelerate the mass market adoption of electric vehicles in the US,” said NADA president and CEO Mike Stanton. “The dealership training program leverages the strengths of each organization and will ensure dealers are more than prepared to sell and service the EV future.”

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This article originally appeared in Charged. Author: Charles Morris. Source: Plug In America