2021 Tesla Model Y on 2040-cars

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EV buyers not exactly happy with dealership experience

If Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk was an I-told-you-so type of guy, here's his chance to do so. It turns out that plug-in vehicle buyers are generally less satisfied with their dealership experience than conventional-vehicle buyers. And the dealers themselves don't like the process much, either. So says a study from the University of California, Davis. The report cited 43 interviews with automakers and dealers that sell in California as well as the JD Power 2013 Sales Satisfaction Index. The study found customer-satisfaction scores to be "much lower" for plug-in vehicle buyers than others. Maybe that's because the dealers themselves are less patient and find that selling plug-ins are more time-consuming, labor-intensive and stressful. And that's just getting the car out the door. More complications arise when dealing with the federal tax incentives issue. Of course, Tesla scored well, relative to the other dealerships. And all that gives more credence to the company's insistence on selling its vehicles directly to customers and without a third-party dealership network. Representatives of some of these dealership groups have been lobbying against the prospect of Tesla getting direct-sales rights. Michigan is the latest battleground between Tesla and pro-dealership entities. See below for an abstract on the UC Davis report and then read more here. New Car Dealers and Retail Innovation in California's Plug-In Electric Vehicle Market Abstract: Innovative new products like plug-in electric vehicles may need new approaches to market and sell them. We conducted 43 interviews with automakers and dealers selling plug-in vehicles in California's major metro markets and analyzed data on customer satisfaction with new car dealers and Tesla stores. Initial findings revealed: • Plug-in vehicle buyers rated the dealer purchase experience much lower than conventional vehicle buyers while Tesla earned industry-high scores; • Plug-in vehicles returned higher gross profits but place greater demands on dealers, including the provision of support services beyond traditional offerings; • New retail approaches undertaken by 'dealer innovators', including new methods for building and scaling dealer competence, could improve the PEV buying experience; an • Public incentives could better align with established dealer practices and business drivers to improve program effectiveness.

Recharge Wrap-up: QR code hints at Tesla Supercharger in Mexico, Lyft tests scheduling

A QR code in a parking garage hints at an upcoming Tesla Supercharger in Mexico. The mysterious QR code directs to a tweet from Elon Musk where he affirms that Tesla will expand its charging network into Mexico "this year." The folks at Teslarati reached out to the automaker, and a spokesperson responded by saying, "Yes, we can confirm that we are planning on having our first Supercharger in Mexico in Cuernavaca City." That's about 50 miles south of Mexico City, where the country's lone Tesla store is located. Read more at Teslarati. Lyft is testing out a ride scheduling system for its ride-hailing service in San Francisco. When requesting a ride, users can select a pickup time up to 24 hours out, ensuring they'll be able to get where they need to go. Users can cancel or change the time up to 30 minutes before their scheduled ride. Lyft says it plans to expand the scheduling service to more users this summer. Read more from Lyft, or at Green Car Congress. Renault is partnering with other automakers and charging operators as part of the EU's Fast-E charging project. Fast-E seeks to install fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, financed by the EU and nine companies, including Renault, BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan. The 278 charging stations will be installed every 50 miles along the major roadways by the end of the year, at a cost of about $20 million. A sister project in the Czech Republic and Slovakia plans to add another 30 charging stations in those countries. Read more in the press release below. Renault is a partner of the European fast-charging project Fast-E in Germany • Official launch of Fast-E project co-financed by the European Union and nine companies, including Renault, in Berlin and Brussels. • 241 charging stations installed in Germany and 37 in Belgium by the end of 2016. • A sister project between the Czech Republic and Slovakia adds another 30 charging stations. The 278 charging points set up every 80 km along Germany and Belgium's main motorways, will allow drivers of electric vehicles to "refuel" and extend their car's range. The total investment of the EU-funded cooperation is approximately ˆ18 million. Every one of the multi-standard fast-chargers spread out over four countries have AC and DC connections, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles' batteries easily and quickly. Electric vehicles can be charge up to 80% on the charging stations within an hour.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla's usable battery capacity uncovered, Opel Ampera-e costlier than BMW i3 in Norway

Tesla hacker Jason Hughes has uncovered the actual usable capacity of Tesla's batteries. While total capacity is used in the branding of the various versions of the Model S and Model X, the usable capacity is usually less than the "75" or "90" on the badge suggests. The outlier is the Model S 60 and 60D, and Model X 60D, which use the same battery pack as the 75 versions. They have 62.4 usable kWh, and a paid upgrade unlocks another 10.2 kWh in usable capacity for a total of 72.6 kWh – not 75 – plus a top speed of 140 mph. Hughes gathered the data from Tesla's Battery Management System software, and made a list of usable capacity for each model. Read more at Electrek. Opel has priced the Ampera-e higher than the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf in Norway. In its first European market, the overseas sibling to the Chevrolet Bolt will start at 299,900 kroner (about $34,585). The i3 starts at 267,500 kroner ($30,850), while the Leaf costs 204,990 kroner ($23,640). Opel is launching the Ampera-e first in countries with more EV infrastructure. The automaker says the car's pricing in Norway is unique because of the country's EV incentives and market conditions, and that one shouldn't extrapolate Norway's price to other markets. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Renault has placed Gilles Normand in charge of its EV unit. After holding important roles at both Renault and Nissan, Normand will lead the French automaker's electric car business as it prepares for a period of accelerated growth. Renault enjoys a 25 percent market share of EVs in Europe, selling more than 100,000 since 2012. "I am very motivated by this new strategic challenge at a time when the Global EV market is entering into a significant growth phase," says Normand, who steps into the role on January 1, 2017. "I look forward to working with the team to continue to drive our leadership in existing and new markets, and bring exciting EV vehicles to our customers." Read more from Automotive News Europe, or from Renault.