Car Dealers Don’t Want To Sell Electric Cars

Megalith

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I’ll give dealers the benefit of the doubt and assume that they simply believe electric cars aren’t for everyone at this point in time.

Industry insiders and those who follow the business closely say that dealers may also be worrying about their bottom lines. They assert that electric vehicles do not offer dealers the same profits as gas-powered cars. They take more time to sell because of the explaining required, which hurts overall sales and commissions. Electric vehicles also may require less maintenance, undermining the biggest source of dealer profits — their service departments.
 
We probably just need to wait until gas is back to over $4 a gallon again.
 
Bet a dollar to a donut that the reason is because there's not as high of a markup on electric cars vs. conventional gas vehicles, so they're not making as much money, so why should they sell something that isn't as profitable to them?

It reminds me of when airports started instituting rules for taxi drivers to require them to take anyone ANYWHERE, as many of them refused to take people short distances because it meant they'd have to wait at the back of the line when they came back to the airport. Now I'm not saying we need to force dealerships to carry electric cars, but how many of these dealers are operating in states where the state also won't allow Tesla to sell directly to the consumer?
 
Of course! they won't be able to sell us shitty overpriced parts when you'll just be able to go on YouTube and Amazon and figure it out yourself because it's going to be a lot like fixing a PC once the platforms get mature. not to mention ordering cars online like Tesla and bypassing the sales vampires completely.

Fuck the dealers. Get a new job.
 
A dealership not wanting to sell me a car is ok. It's when the dealership colludes with the government to prohibit the manufacture from selling me a car is where I have a problem.
 
I bet it has more to do with the warranty claims vs. a gas engine.
 
Until America's dilapidated electric grids get fixed I dont want cars and trucks moving to it. After our last hurricane many people lost service for weeks - one reason being electric co didn't have any more of the spare parts not made since the 1970s. We cant build nuke plants, we cant build conventional plants. We had 3 coal electric plants shut down in a 10 mile stretch. People just want more and more electric stuff and want the power fairies to deliver juice from Narnia.
 
If it wasn't for the large rebates, and single drive access to the carpool lanes, electric car and plugin hybrid sales would only be a fraction of what they are.

With the lower gas prices, they don't make sense for most people, especially when you add in the cost of having a home charger installed.

The only person at the office with an electric car, leased it because the dealer was practically giving it away ($200/month, unlimited mileage). He already have a home charger that he got for almost free after rebate from his last lease of a plugin hybrid.
Hi main reason for buying it (and putting up with the short range) was so he could use the car pool lanes during his commute.
 
Until America's dilapidated electric grids get fixed I dont want cars and trucks moving to it. ... People just want more and more electric stuff and want the power fairies to deliver juice from Narnia.

This is 100% on target. I work in the automotive industry, 20+ years with electric and hybrids in engineering and design and the two largest issues are 1) battery technology and 2) electric infrastructure.

And the battery issue is improving ... no comment about the grid because my mother always told me to talk nice.;)
 
That's cool, I don't particularly want to buy one either. Least ways not until they fix all the glaring issues with them. Once they are actually a viable alternative to a IC car, then I will reconsider this stance. Provided of course they cease this trend of making all EV's look like terrible tiny little death traps that a Chihuahua would feel nervous hitting a shopping cart.
 
Dealers dont want to sell them because they are very hard to sell. No dealer wants a car sitting on his lot that he cant sell.
They also require a specially trained tech, and a lot of special tools to work on. its an all around loser for the dealers .

Of course! they won't be able to sell us shitty overpriced parts when you'll just be able to go on YouTube and Amazon and figure it out yourself because it's going to be a lot like fixing a PC once the platforms get mature. not to mention ordering cars online like Tesla and bypassing the sales vampires completely.

Fuck the dealers. Get a new job.

Just be careful poking around that pesky 600 volt line..they are not very forgiving
 
Dealers dont want to sell them because they are very hard to sell. No dealer wants a car sitting on his lot that he cant sell.
They also require a specially trained tech, and a lot of special tools to work on. its an all around loser for the dealers .



Just be careful poking around that pesky 600 volt line..they are not very forgiving

Heh - being killed by a Nissan Leaf would be an embarrassing way to go out, huh? :D
 
Heh - being killed by a Nissan Leaf would be an embarrassing way to go out, huh? :D

Yeah, anyone who thinks they are going to work on these cars at home should practice by licking high tension wires.

routine maintenance is just fine, but anything related to the HV parts should be left to the professionals.

These cars will kill you if you dont know what you're doing and start playing with the wrong stuff.
 
We probably just need to wait until gas is back to over $4 a gallon again.

True, but that may be a good while. Obviously the oil industry is worried about alternative energy sources and the best way to fight that is with cheap oil.
 
Of course! they won't be able to sell us shitty overpriced parts when you'll just be able to go on YouTube and Amazon and figure it out yourself because it's going to be a lot like fixing a PC once the platforms get mature. not to mention ordering cars online like Tesla and bypassing the sales vampires completely.

Fuck the dealers. Get a new job.

Not sure if you've ever worked on a car or have a clue about electric cars.

Electric cars take skilled technicians that get special training to work on these moonbat mobiles.

I'll take a gas powered car over that so called green car any day while i'm still alive.

The stupid liberals are shutting down all the coal and nuclear power plants putting a strain on the grid and don't want to run new natural gas pipelines to feed the increased need for that resource. Not sure how your going to charge your electric car when the grid gets rekt by liberal democrats.
 
Kind of funny, once my free check-ups/maintenance expired at the dealer I stopped going there for all of my cars.

I like the way Tesla is doing it, fuck dealerships, let me buy directly from the maker.
 
I bet it has more to do with the warranty claims vs. a gas engine.

Has to do with low sales volumes. They have to train salesmen and service workers, sacrifice floorspace and adspace of better selling cars.
 
Screw "simple" electric. I suggest Fallout-style nuclear powered vehicles :D
 
I think the article hit a key element ... electric cars are not not for everyone ... I love my hybrid as it allows me to get good gas mileage where I drive around 20,000 miles per year ... as an apartment dweller and long distance commuter, an electric car is a poor fit for my lifestyle ... a pure gas car is also a poor fit
 
It's too low maintenance for dealerships, not enough return service to profit from.
 
If it wasn't for the large rebates, and single drive access to the carpool lanes, electric car and plugin hybrid sales would only be a fraction of what they are.

With the lower gas prices, they don't make sense for most people, especially when you add in the cost of having a home charger installed.

The only person at the office with an electric car, leased it because the dealer was practically giving it away ($200/month, unlimited mileage). He already have a home charger that he got for almost free after rebate from his last lease of a plugin hybrid.
Hi main reason for buying it (and putting up with the short range) was so he could use the car pool lanes during his commute.

Even with high gas prices they don't make much economic sense, as most car purchases are fairly short term ownership.

I was shopping for a car around 09 during on of the big gas spike periods. I could choose between a used conventional I.C.E. 2002 hatchback that for 25/31 for $5K, or a used (can't remember the year) Prius for $15K that got like 35/45. I did the math and the break even point period on purchase price due to fuel cost and consumption was about 10 years.


Plugins are even worse in terms of break-even....and might not break even due to increasing demand and cost for kWhr from the utility companies.
 
Plugins are even worse in terms of break-even....and might not break even due to increasing demand and cost for kWhr from the utility companies.

In most locations, electricity is considerably cheaper as a "fuel" than gasoline.

Of course! they won't be able to sell us shitty overpriced parts when you'll just be able to go on YouTube and Amazon and figure it out yourself because it's going to be a lot like fixing a PC once the platforms get mature. not to mention ordering cars online like Tesla and bypassing the sales vampires completely.

Fuck the dealers. Get a new job.

My car packs 540v electric lines. I think I'll leave that to the professionals.

That's cool, I don't particularly want to buy one either. Least ways not until they fix all the glaring issues with them. Once they are actually a viable alternative to a IC car, then I will reconsider this stance. Provided of course they cease this trend of making all EV's look like terrible tiny little death traps that a Chihuahua would feel nervous hitting a shopping cart.

What are the glaring issues? My Ford Fusion Hybrid is nice and roomy.
 
The identification that people have with money is odd to say the least.

Fixed for you. It's not about gasoline. It's about money. If you could get an electric Ford Focus for $18k like you can get a gas version right now people would consider it. The car already gets 40 mpg. You know how much gas you can buy to make up the difference between a $30k Nissan Leaf and an $18k Ford Focus? Even with tax rebates (a joke), it's still several thousand more dollars.
 
Until America's dilapidated electric grids get fixed I dont want cars and trucks moving to it. After our last hurricane many people lost service for weeks - one reason being electric co didn't have any more of the spare parts not made since the 1970s. We cant build nuke plants, we cant build conventional plants. We had 3 coal electric plants shut down in a 10 mile stretch. People just want more and more electric stuff and want the power fairies to deliver juice from Narnia.

I also agree with you completely. Lets actually change our ways and upgrade our infrastructure instead of the typical reactive response where we blow it up and then try to deal with the consequences later. It is sad that the countries we rebuilt after the various wars often have more modern infrastructure than us.

The grid is shaky and we have no excess generating capacity in a large part of the country.
 
This is largely about loss of maintenance fees, you don't need the same level of upkeep for electric cars. Basically tires and maybe an alignment here or there.

oil changes?
spark plugs?

NOPE !!!!!!!!!



Just a very expensive battery, but that's a one time thing every 6-8 years or so depending on driving I suppose.


Less issues around brakes too since they are not used as heavily

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...rry-electric-car-brakes-will-ruin-my-business

Bring on the golden age, I want every one of you of means to get off your ass and buy electrics, become the sea of oled buyers that paves the way for cheaper goodness for the rest of us.
 
Of course! they won't be able to sell us shitty overpriced parts when you'll just be able to go on YouTube and Amazon and figure it out yourself because it's going to be a lot like fixing a PC once the platforms get mature.
Hahahahahahaha. You either seriously underestimate the complexity of modern automobiles. These are seriously complex machines, and the power system in an electric vehicle is a lot more dangerous than the fuel system in a gas car.
 
They take more time to sell because of the explaining required, which hurts overall sales and commissions.

I find it impossible to believe that if it takes (say) two hours to sell a car instead of one, that it has much of an impact on either dealer profits or sales commissions. We're not talking about selling vacuum cleaners or toasters. Nobody sells enough cars that the amount of labor involved in the sale would affect the cost of the sale.

Electric vehicles also may require less maintenance, undermining the biggest source of dealer profits — their service departments.

THIS is the reason.
 
Good. Fuck dealerships. Just let me order straight from the manufacturers website with to home delivery. No pricing games, no bullshit.
 
I think the article hit a key element ... electric cars are not not for everyone ... I love my hybrid as it allows me to get good gas mileage where I drive around 20,000 miles per year ... as an apartment dweller and long distance commuter, an electric car is a poor fit for my lifestyle ... a pure gas car is also a poor fit

Just one of the problems with Electric cars. Unless you have your own home AND you park in the garage AND you spend the money to install a 240 volt charger, you won't have an easy way to charge the car.

I also find a Hybrid a much better fit. I have a short city commute, and I park my car in my home's garage, so to some people I would be the perfect fit for an electric car.
However, I occasionally need it for long trips (more than 100 miles round trip), which most the cheaper electric cars can't handle without stopping somewhere and waiting for it to charge.
My hybrid gets over 600 miles/tank, even in the city rush hour traffic, and if I need to go further, it's just a few minutes to fill it up.
Plus it has a spare tire, unlike most electric cars.
 
Hahahahahahaha. You either seriously underestimate the complexity of modern automobiles. These are seriously complex machines, and the power system in an electric vehicle is a lot more dangerous than the fuel system in a gas car.

This is a problem with both electric cars and hybrids.
They tend to be more reliable (at least the Toyota hybrids), but if something major does break, you usually have to take it to the dealer, and it can be a lot more expensive.
 
Until America's dilapidated electric grids get fixed I dont want cars and trucks moving to it. After our last hurricane many people lost service for weeks - one reason being electric co didn't have any more of the spare parts not made since the 1970s. We cant build nuke plants, we cant build conventional plants. We had 3 coal electric plants shut down in a 10 mile stretch. People just want more and more electric stuff and want the power fairies to deliver juice from Narnia.
Solar and biomass
 
yeah I much prefer the direct approach. Tesla has the right idea. The dealers are probably not seeing the same revenue from service fees with electric cars as they are with conventional ones.
 
yeah I much prefer the direct approach. Tesla has the right idea. The dealers are probably not seeing the same revenue from service fees with electric cars as they are with conventional ones.

Dealerships don't want to compete with auto companies' direct sales. Their beef with Tesla is that there was enough of a cult, Dealerships couldn't block their plans for direct sales in many cases. Tesla though sets a precedent which other auto companies can say, if they can do it, why can't we?

This part of the issue has nothing to do with Tesla being electric its about breaking Dealerships absolute lock on car sales.
 
I find it somewhat amusing on a computer enthusiast site where most of us has spent plenty of non-economical sense dollars on PC hardware, and fail to even mention this could be similar. That $250 motherboard with USB4.0 when no devices exist and by the time they do you will have a new motherboard etc. Doubling up on Video cards for SLI when only 2 games can use it without crashing (when sli came out).

While there certainly is the douche factor some people use as a reason to buy a hybrid/EV, many people are paying $$$$ for what they believe in. Just like "we" early tech adopters pay more money to be the first but also to basically show support and encourage new tech.

This is a hard place to be in, we have vested so much into oil (or more importantly don't want to invest anymore), that electricity will be naturally hard to move to something else. As a number of people have pointed out.

I personally don't think we can just assume oil will be around forever. It would be short sighted to ignore the need to change.

When judging hybrid/EV I think many also forget cars have been mass produced for over 100 years. 100 years! It will take time for these new cars (and infrastructure) to catch up.



Even with high gas prices they don't make much economic sense, as most car purchases are fairly short term ownership.

I was shopping for a car around 09 during on of the big gas spike periods. I could choose between a used conventional I.C.E. 2002 hatchback that for 25/31 for $5K, or a used (can't remember the year) Prius for $15K that got like 35/45. I did the math and the break even point period on purchase price due to fuel cost and consumption was about 10 years.


Plugins are even worse in terms of break-even....and might not break even due to increasing demand and cost for kWhr from the utility companies.
 
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