We don’t have to tell you that the auto industry is undergoing significant changes — and it’s been quite the ride for auto dealers over the past few years. While higher interest rates and rectifying supply challenges have caused growth in car sales to slow overall, we are still expecting EVs to represent an increasing portion of ongoing sales.
BloombergNEF forecasts that passenger EV sales will reach 20.5 million in 2025 — a 93% increase from 2022. In fact, new EV registrations represented 7.4% of the U.S. market as of October 2023, according to Experian. That’s still nearly a 2% increase over 2022.
What’s interesting is that the typical EV buyer is now shifting too. Early adopters were wealthier and prioritized vehicle range, efficiency and environmental factors. Now, EV buyers are a bit more mainstream. They are still concerned about range, but price and charging infrastructure play a bigger part in their decision-making.
We’ve got four great tips to help you meet these new EV buyers where they are, help answer their questions and, we hope, sell more EVs.
Tip #1: Get them out of the traditional fueling mindset
Many drivers don’t realize that driving an EV eliminates the need to make an extra stop to fuel up. In fact, 80% of charging happens either at home or work, while the other 20% happens while people run errands, go to appointments and occasionally are out of town.
Explain to your customers that driving an EV is like plugging in their phones. Fueling up is something that happens in the background to living their lives.
Tip #2: Eliminate range anxiety
According to a recent McKinsey survey, the top concerns of over 40% of participants were vehicle range and charger availability. But the reality is many models available today feature batteries with a 300-mile or more range. That’s farther than your customers may realize. According to a recent Kelley Blue Book article, the average driver in the U.S. only drives about 37 miles a day. Even a quick top-off while popping into the grocery store can cover that.
Put your customers at ease by showcasing the in-dash experience during your test drive to help them see how easy it is to find charging. Demonstrate the ChargePoint app to show them the large network of available AC and DC charging stations.
You could even set up a home charging demo to show them how simple it is to keep their vehicle charged up and ready to roll from home.
Tip #3: Offer a complete purchase experience
Ease your customers’ concerns about price by sharing information on federal, state and local tax incentives and offering your own purchase incentives. Provide a reliable home charger alongside your electric vehicle offerings — either included in the purchase price or as an add-on. Give drivers the security of knowing how easy it is to set up charging at home.
Loyalty programs are another attractive purchase incentive if you have public charging on-site. Use ChargePoint software to set up discounted pricing for EV customers who return to your dealership to use your charging stations. Give your customers complete EV confidence during their purchase experience so they will return to you for their next EV.
Tip #4: Empower your customers with tools
According to recent AAA data, 25% of Americans are considering an EV for their next purchase. Yet, many still have basic questions about what the shift to electric will look like. Give your customers the information they need to make an informed decision. Share resources to help them understand EV charging basics, where to look for governmental and utility incentives and more. Encourage them to download the ChargePoint app even before they make a purchase to get comfortable with finding charging stations.
We make it easy for auto dealers to offer a reliable and easy charging experience — from durable charging stations purpose-built for your sales lot, showroom and service bay to robust cloud-based software that powers it all from one intuitive dashboard. Our unparalleled services, from site design and installation to monitoring, maintenance and dealership training resources, give you peace of mind throughout your charging journey.
Curious to see how EV charging might fit into your dealership?
