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of other brands with EVs in their lineups have Direct sales have never once benefited
been making these same commitments and consumers with lower prices, more convenience
investments for years – and not reluctantly. They or better service and maintenance, despite the
have done so because they don’t want to lose marketing. And they never will, because direct
sales to other brands as more and better EVs – sales are ultimately only about creating a vertical
and more EV customers – come to the market. channel for manufacturing, sales and service
that allows a single entity to control everything,
So why does this myth persist? I think it’s including prices and margins, to the obvious
simple. EVs still don’t yet sell in the numbers detriment of consumers.
that environmentalists want, and many groups
feel as though they need a boogeyman to blame In fact, if direct sales were adopted for EVs, then
for fledging sales. They can’t blame consumers EV buyers – and only EV buyers – would be denied
for thus far being cool to zero-emission vehicles, the service network and price competition that
because it’s not exactly a winning public ICE-vehicle buyers have enjoyed for decades.
relations strategy to blame your customers for
the fact that your preferred product isn’t flying Direct sales are not needed for EVs. In fact, over
off the shelf. They can’t blame the automakers, time, direct sales could cripple EV adoption as
because without them there would be precisely more and more EV owners are forced to deal
zero zero-emissions vehicles available for sale with higher prices and the headache of longer
to begin with. Dealers became an easy and and longer wait times for even basic service.
convenient scapegoat.
But do you know what is needed for sustainable
And the myth lingered. Now, however, it’s taken EV sales to consumers up and down the price
a new and more dangerous life as a lie designed point chain? A large, expansive network of
to take down the franchise system. In fact, Rivian, retailers and service providers who are experts
Lucid and Lordstown Motors seem to have at marketing locally, and who are invested in the
hung their entire pitch for direct sales on this future sales and service opportunities that these
lie about franchised dealers and their supposed products promise.
reluctance and inability to sell EVs.
Fortunately for automakers, consumers, and
policymakers alike, that network already exists.
We know that nothing could
be further from the truth, but
it isn’t hard to unpack why Dismantle the big lie about
this is their line of attack. EV sales, and what you are left
with is the clear truth:
Franchised dealers aren’t an
obstacle to EV sales; they
are essential to them.
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