ICYMI: Nearly 4,000 Car Dealers tell Biden, On Electric Vehicles, 'It's Time to Tap the Brakes.'
Despite the UAWs exuberance over new agreements that include EV plants, EVs are 'stacking up' on dealer lots.
A group of nearly 4,000 automotive dealers signed an open letter to President Joe Biden earlier this week, complaining that electric vehicles are “stacking up on our lots” and asking him to “tap the brakes” on the government’s pushing electric vehicles.
“Your Administration has proposed regulations that would essentially mandate a dramatic shift to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), increasing year after year until 2032, when two out of every three vehicles sold in America would have to be battery electric,” the letter states.
The letter comes shortly after the United Auto Workers (UAW) negotiated its agreements with the Detroit Three auotmakers—Ford, General Motors and Stellantis—to include EV battery plants into the union’s new master agreements.
While the UAW’s agreements apply to EV plants located in the U.S., many electric vehicles—including those built by the Detroit Three—are made in Mexico.
”Currently, there are many excellent battery electric vehicles available for consumers to purchase,” the dealers tell the President. “These vehicles are ideal for many people, and we believe their appeal will grow over time.”
“The reality, however, is that electric vehicle demand today is not keeping up with the large influx of BEVs arriving at our dealerships prompted by the current regulations,” the dealers explain. “BEVs are stacking up on our lots.”
Axios, in writing about the dealers’ letter, featured Mickey Anderson, “whose Baxter Auto Group has 20 dealerships in Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado, said when the [Ford] Lightning was first announced, he had nearly 200 refundable orders from early ‘hand raisers.‘“
“The list naturally dwindled over time,” Axios reports, “resulting in 25 Lightning sales — out of a total of 1,000 F-series trucks he sold last year.”
“Mr. President, no government agency, no think tank, and no polling firm knows more about the automobile customer than us,” the dealers go on to state. “We talk to customers every day. As retail automotive dealerships, we are agnostic as to what we sell.”
However, the dealers note, “the majority of customers are simply not ready to make the change.”
They are concerned about BEVs being unaffordable. Many do not have garages for home charging or easy access to public charging stations. Customers are also concerned about the loss of driving range in cold or hot weather. Some have long daily commutes and don’t have the extra time to charge the battery. Truck buyers are especially put off by the dramatic loss of range when towing. Today’s current technology is not adequate to support the needs of the majority of our consumers.
Read the whole letter here.