Chevy Bolt Premier.
I’ve participated in the purchase of five EVs. Two for myself, one for a family member, two for a friend. Along the way, I’ve met some pretty uninformed salespeople who have no business selling EVs.
Those five purchases and/or leases were: a 2013 Chevy Volt, a 2015 Chevy Volt, a 2017 Chevy Bolt, a 2018 Chevy Bolt, and 2016 Chevy Spark EV*. All the deals took place in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area except one.
And I’ve talked to a lot of Tesla staff at stores over the years. Many since the Model 3 arrived. They sell only EVs so it’s in their DNA. That’s not the case for the rest of us looking at other EV brands.
My worst experience was probably the Chevy “floor sales manager” who forgot or didn’t know or didn’t care he was selling me an EV. Though I can’t remember the exact wording, during the sales pitch he said something about the engine and how “all our new Chevys get great gas mileage.” And made other references to gas-powered Chevys.
No wonder people aren’t buying EVs! – I thought at the time (early 2017). With salespeople like that who needs the oil industry lobby. And it’s a miracle that GM sells any EVs !
Anyway, I didn’t let him continue on very long about the Chevy gas car he thought he was selling and informed him that the Bolt was in fact an EV. And proceeded to educate him about the Bolt since obviously no one else at that Chevy dealer had.
Call it the reverse sell: I had to sell the salesperson on the benefits of an EV.
I have a feeling that I’m not the only person to have experienced this.
That’s a worst-case. There are examples of surprisingly well-informed Chevy salespeople. Like the guy who sold my father his Chevy Volt (December 2016). He had the Volt down cold. But that was luck. Until 2017 it was a lottery: most of the salespeople weren’t into EVs but occasionally you hit on one who was.
The larger point is, from around 2011 until 2017 buying a non-Tesla EV was strictly for the EV hardcore. For the casual car buyer, it was a dicey proposition to walk into a dealership knowing only a little about EVs. Chances are, you’d walk out none the wiser and maybe dumber (courtesy of uninformed salespeople). And you might have ended up with a Chevy Equinox or Chevy Cruze instead.
The good news is, when I leased my 2018 Chevy Bolt all the salespeople I encountered were hip to EVs. But that was Burbank, Calif., an EV hot spot (and where the Schwarzenegger video above was shot). I’m not sure how much things have changed in places like middle-America and the East Coast.
I’ll have a better idea in 2020 when I start looking at EVs again and check out things on the East Coast.
––
Notes:
*The Chevy Spark EV was General Motor’s first, and little-known, pure EV (if you don’t count the EV1). It was discontinued after the 2016 model year. It preceded the Chevy Bolt and was often referred to as GM’s compliance vehicle.
Chevy Spark EV.
