Why are there still few electric cars on the roads?

Honda seller arranges a test drive on an electric car for one of the clients.

About seven years ago, the US president called for the appearance of a million electric vehicles on the roads of this country by 2015. Manufacturers of electric cars have received a number of preferences, and over the course of time, a large number of fans have emerged from the electric vehicles themselves. And in fact - there are no emissions, you do not need to spend money on gasoline or diesel fuel. For the owner seemingly some advantages. At the same time, a number of large automakers are already producing or are only going to produce their own electric cars. And we don’t remember Tesla Motors with its more than ambitious plans.

So how many electric cars are there now on the roads of America? It turns out, not a million, and not two million, but only 330 thousand. What? Why is that? It turns out that this is not about the high price of a single electric car or other reasons. The main stumbling block is car dealers. They simply do not want to sell electric cars, the dealers' enthusiasm for this is much less than the rest.

Representatives of large companies that sell cars, often criticized electric cars. So, in his speech, the representative of the National Automobile Dealers Association said that only 14% of car buyers are concerned about fuel economy, and even fewer people who pay attention to its "green" characteristics when buying a car. In the salons of the same car sellers often do not know the limit of the course of an electric car on a single battery charge, many even persuade buyers to buy ordinary cars, and not their electric competitors.
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2015 Volkswagen e-Golf SEL

Interestingly, in California, the most "geek" state of the United States is now about 50% of the entire population of electric vehicles in the United States. There are 150 thousand electric cars on the roads.

What is the reason that dealers do not like electric cars? And the fact that the dealer earns less from each sold electric vehicle than from a sold car with ICE. At the same time, efforts to conclude an agreement with the manufacturer require more. Plus, the electric car requires a minimum of maintenance, which deprives the dealer of another source of income - the services of the service center. Perhaps the niche occupied by electric vehicles is expanding and developing, but dealers still have a minimum of enthusiasm for this.

Electric vehicles have drawbacks, of course. This is an insufficient power reserve on one battery (most models have only about 140 km), and the lack of a developed infrastructure of electrical charging stations. Plus, in hot regions, the same California, turning on the air conditioner quickly depletes energy reserves in the battery, and without that is not enough capacious. And if you take into account the higher price, then an electric car does not become a transport for everyone.

Cars have advantages. In the United States and many European countries, the cost of an ordinary middle-class car is $ 10,000- $ 15,000, with states often subsidizing production. ICEs are evolving, car manufacturers are trying to minimize fuel costs for most car models.

All this - the arguments that makes the dealer to the buyer. At the same time with such arguments is difficult to argue, right? Sometimes it comes to the fact that the buyer has to convince the seller of the passenger compartment of the car to sell him the electric car, and not the usual car.


Infographics, which helps the seller of cars clearly show the range of various electric cars

A study conducted in 2013 showed that the owners of electric cars are much less satisfied with the work of sellers than the owners of ordinary cars who recently bought their “iron horse”. Some sellers even say that electric vehicles are not available, despite the fact that this is often not the case.

One of the BMW car dealers says that he himself is an adherent of the idea of ​​electric cars. But the majority of sellers, who have studied in detail the features of dozens of models of various cars, simply do not have the desire to study electric cars, the profit from which is also less than the sale of a car.

A Nissan spokesman said that the dealer could sell two conventional cars in the same time and with less effort than when selling Leaf.

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, dealers get three times more profit from services than from car sales. And since electric cars require much less care, then the profits from them - nothing at all. But sometimes auto sellers try to deliver a package of services for electric vehicles. For example, Robert Caste, who bought the Volkswagen e-Golf, talks about the seller’s offer to receive a package of services for changing the oil, repairing the belt and water pumps for $ 15 a month.

Anyway, as long as the situation in the sphere of car sales does not change, there can be no significant increase in the number of electric cars. Perhaps Ilon Musk, who does not work with dealers, but sells Tesla directly in those states where it is not prohibited is not so wrong.