Dealers must themselves experience living with an EV in order to retail them properly, claims Oliver Larkin, head of group corporate and public relations at Volkswagen Group UK.
At the NFDA’s EV Marketplace Seminar, Larkin said that it is not enough for dealers to just drive an EV once or twice, or over a period of a week.
He said that in order to be able to convey the EV experience to the consumer, dealers must live with an EV for an extended time in order to provide a more rounded picture.
“We’ve got to drive these cars. There’s no point saying ‘I’ve driven this car for 20 miles’.
“How was it in the winter? How was the charging experience? What was it like being able to come home and just plug in the car versus filling up on a cold October evening?”
Larkin also spoke on how dealers will have to think ahead at their dealerships, urging them to think about how they prepare and handle batteries and used EVs.
“Dealers also need to think about the second life of the vehicle, especially with software updates potentially giving more of a second life than was previously available,” he said.
In terms of a physical presence, Larkin used Apple as an example of how he thinks dealers should operate across online and physical platforms.
“Think of where Apple is. Yes most purchases and services are offered online, but Apple is also on the high street, everywhere. People are going to those stores and want to be able to talk to somebody if they have a problem.
“We see dealerships holding on to their physical presence, but becoming fully integrated with the digital world.”
Despite the increase in online activity in automotive retail, Larkin feels that dealerships remain the primary point of contact for consumers.