Shift Magazine - September 2021 - 14

Advocacy
groups and
nonprofits help
dealerships get
staff up to speed
to sell electrified
vehicles
PLAYBOOK FOR
THE AGE OF EVS
BY PETE BIGELOW
H
undreds of miles away from a
major city brimming with urbanites
and potential early adopters,
Stefan Johnson devotes his
time to generating interest in electric vehicles
on Colorado's rugged Western Slope.
This is oil-and-gas country. Not all that
long ago, Johnson's attempts may have
only stirred derision.
But today, a rise in EV-curious consumers,
a broader product portfolio from automakers
and his own efforts as transportation
program manager with the Clean
Energy Economy for the Region nonprofit
organization have all created a foothold for
14 shift * september 2021
electric vehicles there.
Another turning point has been the
group buys he helps organize with local
auto dealerships. Clean Energy Economy
for the Region, which advocates for oil
independence and an accelerated push
toward a cleaner economy, negotiates for
discounts and incentives. In return, it brings
dealerships eager individual customers.
" We're not salespeople, but we will
create demand, and we will generate
those leads when dealerships would normally
have to do their own marketing, "
Johnson said. " We've developed some
great relationships with dealers who are
responsive. There might still be a few who
say, 'No, EVs aren't going to sell here,' but
with some of these new models coming
on the market and anticipation for the Ford
F-150 Lightning, we're seeing a changing
of the guard. "
A 2019 group-buy effort over three rural
counties resulted in sales of 60 EVs.
In
sheer numbers, that's not sizable. But it
counts as a big success in a rural area, and
it perhaps highlights another method in
which dealerships nationwide can adapt
to selling vehicles that arrive with new
sets of questions and expectations from
prospective consumers.
NOT READY
So far, dealership efforts across the
country have been uneven. Their websites
Shift Magazine - September 2021

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