Pub. 5 Issue 4

37 I t was Friday morning, and eight members of the sales staff at Felix Chevrolet were gathered around the table for a weekly seminar led by Darryl Holter, the boss of the venerable downtown Los Angeles dealership. This may be one of the more unusual educational efforts in Southern California. The students get weekly reading as- signments, on which they’re quizzed, just as in regular schools. But the topic is unusual: how to sell customers on electric cars. The working-class Latinos who make up Felix’s core market haven’t been early adopters of novel products such as EVs. The obstacles include the perception that EVs are more expensive than conventional cars — that’s true, before government and retailer incentives are counted. One problem? EVs are skimpier on range. While a gasoline car can run 350 miles or more on a single fill-up, EVs gener- ally run about 200 to 250 miles before needing a charge, and charging stations are harder to find than gas stations, espe- cially in working-class neighborhoods. The point is to emphasize the less understood advantages of EVs. “We point out that maintenance is very low,” says Janet Lopez, one of the sales staff attending Holter’s seminars. “There are no oil changes —when you bring the car in, you just have to rotate the tires and check the battery.” Holter is convinced that the EV wave is coming. So he tapped this group of salespersons to give them the tools to meet grow- ing demand. “They’re younger, they’re less experienced in the car business, but they’re savvier about social media,” Holter told me. “I want them to know what distinguishes an electric car. I want them to talk about the rebates and other programs to line up the price points closer to that of a gasoline car. I want to be able to put the customer at ease.” Auto Dealers Face a Revolution in Their Business As EVs Are Poised to Gain Market Share By MICHAEL HILTZIK | BUSINESS COLUMNIST