The monetary investment of any new car dealer that goes along with the manufacturer’s desire to go electric, must invest hundreds of thousands of dollars first. Many have sold their franchises and are not willing to do it. Considering the profit of each new electric vehicle sold, it will take years just to break even.
1 Like
A lot of stuff goes into it.
Got to install charging stations at the dealer lot so people can test drive.
Got to get EV safe body suits for all techs in service.
Got to get those same techs certified to work on them.
Requires a special lift for warranty battery swaps.
Requires new scan machines for service.
The Nissan dealer I worked at was certified to work on EVs. We had a lift there that we never used because Nissan Leafs didn’t sell very well and that was the one Nissan that required it to be there. Only one of our techs (the master tech) was certified to even touch them. But he never had to.
We only used our EV safe body suit for getting in disgusting customer ICE cars. Ya know the people I’m talking about. We had a Juke come in once that had used tampons all over the floor board. That’s the kind of situations we would put that suit on for.
2 Likes
Say what, EV’s aren’t selling in rural Mississippi? Shocker lol.
Instead of pulling on a suit, techs need to refuse to work on biohazard cars like that.
1 Like
US and Euro automakers are backing EV’s for the sole reason that it takes 2/3’s less labor to build an EV.
That’s why the same (American at least, Japanese and Euro manufacturers just did it) auto industry that fought safety glass, that fought seat belts, catalytic converters, 5 mph bumpers, air bags, basically any sort of mandate that necessitated a change, is rushing headlong to EV’s, for the huge savings in labor.
Conflating the car DEALERS with auto MANUFACTURERS like they’re on the same page is hilarious. We know from the Obama years that 90% of car dealers are owned by Republicans, (recall the conspiracy theory that "Obama is picking only Republican car dealers to close gibberish) and they are an exceptionally Reactionary lot. Car dealers and manufacturers are not on the same page on a LOT of things.
1 Like
Trust me my suggestion for that Juke was for it to “‘mysteriously” catch on fire behind the dealership.
Our master tech was a Kamikaze though. He always did the job no matter what.
Sad part was that we ended up seeing the car again a few months later. That crazy lady who owned it had managed to get the local Ford-Lincoln dealer to take it as a trade without them even looking at it. It had transmission issues. Which being a Jatco CVT wasn’t surprising and that lady refused to pay to have it swapped. So of course they called us up asking what was wrong with it. I kind of laughed (I’ve known the parts guy at that dealer my entire life) and told him that they got ■■■■■■ and to just burn the car. It was a glorified tax write off at that point.
Also you’d be surprised at how many Tesla Model 3s are running around here. Tesla installed superchargers all up and down I55 in almost every decently sized town on the interstate.
I think the reason the traditional automakers are having problems selling their EVs is because of marketing. Or the complete lack of it. And they lack the cultural zeitgeist that Tesla has tapped into.
and can we get rid of the plastic cars please? Go back to steel. You think plastic is better?
I prefer aluminum panels and Plastic trim over steel panels and steel trim.
Steel rusts. And it’s heavy. I’m a believer in cutting as much weight as possible.
Only good thing about steel is that I can heat treat it and beat dents out of the panels. Cheaper body repairs. But the downsides of steel outweigh that one advantage in my opinion. Especially since plastic trim is dirt cheap to replace in most cases. Aluminum is the best of both worlds. Lightweight and can be repaired with the right tools.
Also most things you touch on a car are still made from steel. My Civic is almost completely steel with carbon impregnated plastic being used for the front and rear bumpers and aluminum for the hood and trunk deck. I would prefer if the entire body was aluminum though. Since that would drop 700 pounds off of the car’s curb weight.
The thing is that metallurgy has improved leaps and bounds over cars from just 30 years ago. So today’s steel alloys are different than what you would have seen on a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice. And they sound different when you tap them.
1 Like
I am pretty sure the carbon fiber and plastic have with the biomechanics of impacts but not a physicist though i have played one in a court room.
Have you gone car shopping lately? Chevy, Honda etc. It’s all plastic except hoods, since at least 2017. Except trucks
Bro. My Civic Si is a 2018 model and I’ve had the car for five years now.
1 Like
Also the F-150’s body is completely aluminum. The Silverado and Ram both have an aluminum bed.
Steel is on its way out the door.
EV’s are not ready for prime time because of the battery technology. Otherwise they would not have to forced into the market place by govt. Great for a small commute in California. Even then the traffic makes people worry about running out of power.
Gas powered cars did not need govt to push them…
Maybe Honda waited a few years to go all plastic. Today they are plastic
Then why are they so expensive…?
Teslas are sold direct to consumer - No dealerships.
Dealerships are afraid of that business model for obvious reasons.
Unibody construction requires metal to be affordable. The only truly plastic bodied car currently sold is the Corvette. And that’s because it’s not unibody construction. The aluminum subframe provides strength for the Corvette’s plastic body.
Unibody cars do not have a frame underneath except for the engine cradle. The body bears the load. For that to be done affordably and safely they have to use steel or aluminum.
Now they do use plastic for the bumpers and certain exterior trim (like the mirrors) because that isn’t load bearing. And some exterior panels will use plastic to cover the metal underneath. But underneath all that the unibody is steel or aluminum. Because it has to be. Unless one uses carbon fiber and unfortunately that miracle material is so expensive that it’s relegated to exotics.
1 Like
Think about it for like 2 seconds.
1 Like
Please keep going this is so very interesting (not sarcasm l)
EVs aren’t for everybody. However they are amazing for certain situations.
1 Like
Go. car shopping. Ask them. Chevys are all plastic except hoods and trucks. I just found out the 2017 Chevy I bought for a family member is plastic. Small Dings happen easily. I’d rather not breathe plastic particles on the freeway.
Dealer:; “yep, all plastic.”
