It's the dealers, stupid...

Or, why long-term helicopter pilots don't make good airline captains.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

I was at an EV event recently and managed to get a couple of test drives in various different vehicles. I’m not going to name them because for the purposes of this article the actual dealerships themselves don’t matter. I think it’s endemic within pretty much all the traditional fossil-fuel-based dealership networks when it comes to selling electric vehicles.

The test drives were accompanied by members of the dealership themselves.

Usually, in a test drive, the dealer is there to answer questions about the car, the brand, and what it’s like going electric. Liz Allan from Full Circle CI has articles covering the appalling state in this regard when it comes to dealers.

But because I’m fairly au fait with electric cars I tend to use that time to ask about the dealerships themselves and how they’re handling the whole transfer to selling electric cars.

Here’s an actual verbatim conversation with one of the reps in the car.

Me: What car are you driving?

Rep: I’m in a [fossil fuelled option sold by that dealership]

Me: Do you have off-street parking at home?

Rep: Yes.

Me: How many of the dealers at your dealership actually drive electric vehicles as day-to-day drivers?

Rep: (Thinks for a while) Two, I think.

Me: In a dealership with how many sales people?

Rep: About 10

Me: (pauses to think of the best way to phrase this to not cause offence). Do you see that as a problem given the mandate that almost 1 in 3 cars you need to sell this year needs to be electric?

Rep: (contemplates the answer for a moment or two) Probably.