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Will car dealerships be able to adapt to the age of electric cars fast enough?

Tesla vehicle drivers are familiar with completing most of the car-buying or leasing steps online. But according to new research from global business management consultants EY, not everyone is ready to ditch the car dealership experience. It’s a familiar car-buying experience, especially for those who haven’t yet switched to electric cars. But dealerships are going to have to adapt quickly to the changes brought by the arrival of electric cars, or they’ll be left behind.

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EGEB: This New Jersey community solar farm gives landfill a new purpose

US community solar

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

  • The Linden Hawk Rise 4.5 MW community solar project in New Jersey nears completion.
  • Albuquerque, New Mexico, launches an Electrified Dealer Program to help car dealers sell EVs.
  • UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
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Study: German dealers refuse to sell ID.3 even as VW talks big on EVs

German VW dealers failed to recommend the brand’s flagship electric car, the ID.3, to secret shoppers with a “suitable driving profile,” according to a new study by Greenpeace. Out of 50 dealers visited, only eight of them (16%) recommended the ID.3, and the percentage was even lower (4%) for customers who didn’t specifically mention they were considering the ID.3.

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This dealer went from selling used gas cars to used EVs, and even new Teslas

Dealer showroom

J.N. Auto, a longtime independent car dealer in rural Quebec, made the transition from selling and servicing used gas vehicles to used electric over five years ago, and even more recently to being one of the largest independent retailers of brand-new Tesla Model 3s anywhere on the planet. Here’s the story of how an independent used car dealer took on new EV sales absent a franchise agreement.


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Tesla can sell in Colorado, but Rivian can’t. Dealers oppose a new law to change that

A new bill, SB 167, has been introduced in Colorado which would allow electric vehicle manufacturers to bypass the state’s direct-sales ban.

The ban was first passed in 2010, which means Tesla’s store in the state is “grandfathered in,” though Tesla is not allowed to open other stores.  It still has several locations in the state, but these are technically “galleries”


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Virginia auto dealers are suing Tesla and the state to stop the automaker from opening a store

tesla_store

It seems like Tesla’s problems with direct sales laws are endless. After two consecutive small wins in Indiana and Utah, where state committees decided to temporarily table bills that would have prohibited Tesla to sell its cars directly to consumers, now the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association (VADA) filed a lawsuit against Tesla and the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner, Richard D. Holcomb, to stop the automaker from opening a second store in the state, according to Reuters.
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