Sunday, April 7, 2019

How I was successful with the Chevrolet BoltEV Launch and what I want to do next

Whew! It was a fun ride that the Chevrolet BoltEV brought me on. In this article, I will go over some of the highlights and not so high points of my drive to deliver 100+ BoltEV's in the Twin Cities Market for the BoltEV Launch. I will also go over a few ways that I would love to move EV and AV technologies onto roadways in massive numbers.

First, please allow me to take a moment to thank the management and staff at Rosedale Chevrolet in Roseville, Minnesota. Without your support and willingness to step outside of the box and take a few risks, I could not have done what we did. David Zirbes and Jeff Krapu were instrumental with this project with their willingness to hear out my ideas, allow me to take steps to activate those ideas and for putting the checkbook of the dealership behind me. Thank you Mike Skog for the extra time and effort that you put forth and thank you to Mark Vermillian for allowing us to buy a brand new vehicle, put it into your inventory (pre-owned) and holding it for two years.

I joined Rosedale Chevrolet with the idea of creating a marketing program for the upcoming release of the BoltEV, Chevrolet's first all-electric vehicle in America. My vision was to reach out to the public and create waves in the marketplace in anticipation of the arrival coupled with an expansive pre-order commitment list. We accomplished every goal and the results were remarkable.

Let's go over a few drives that worked well and a couple that did not.


"BoltE"
We purchased a BoltEV from a dealership in California. I negotiated the deal via email and the phone and we had a staff relative in California who was willing to title it for us. Chevrolet did not roll this vehicle out to the entire country, but rather the BoltEV and Volt saw staggered roll-outs to specific "Carb States" where manufacturers are rewarded to sell zero emission vehicles. California is the biggest state for this, which explains why there are so many electric vehicles there. Just a note: We broke the rules set forth by Chevrolet to do this, sort of. We, as a Minnesota Dealership (or individual), were banned from buying these vehicles from California by rules set by Chevrolet to it's dealers. Dealerships all over the country broke this rule and some were accused of buying truckloads for resale purposes. The problem with these vehicles being sold in states not authorized by Chevrolet was a lack of specialty tools delivered to local service shops. We did not buy our's for resale, but rather for demonstration purposes only. We kept that car for two years.
I brought our demo BoltEV (named BoltE moving forward) with the intent to get as many "butts in seats" as we could across the Twin Cities. BoltE was displayed at the TC Auto Show, Minnesota State Fair, energy fairs, environmental events and public and private events of all attendance levels. I provided over 1,000 test drives both at the dealership and at various events attracting the attention of local media resulting in multiple outlets featuring the "Exciting New All-Electric Chevrolet". I was pictured demonstrating the vehicle on the front page of the Star Tribune twice.
BoltE was the first BoltEV most people had ever set eyes on or sat inside of. During our "EV Launch Event" at the dealership, over 40 people won a raffle to take a 3-minute test drive. We displayed BoltE alongside many Tesla and other electric or hybrid models and we were often given prominence in parade route placement, partly because BoltE was the only one of her kind in a large area. In fact, we were receiving invitations to bring BoltE to events extending to a radius of over 300 mile.
I was shocked to discover infrequent less than supportive local dealerships during this process. If I was attending an event outside my dealership's "zone", I would request permission from the local dealership to come into their zone. I used a standard letter that expressed our interest, guaranteed to market their dealership rather than myself and I offered to bring BoltE to their dealership and to offer training or test drives for their staff. Many dealerships said "no". One General Manager went so far as to tell me that "nobody will buy them, so why waste time marketing something we won't sell?". (I printed his message as motivation) Overall, the majority of local dealers were okay with us visiting their areas, but the select few were certainly a surprise.

Community
One major goal for me was to fully emerge myself in communities that were most likely to support the BoltEV. I searched for and joined every EV related group or page on Facebook. I began attending community based group meetings around the Twin Cities. I planned and executed meet-ups in a non-sales environment. I attended conferences at utility companies, spoke at engineering meetings and joined boards that influence activities in the "green" community. BoltEV and Volt were displayed at colleges, churches, specialty high schools and campuses of Fortune 500 companies. I fully emerged myself in the world of electric vehicles, solar expansion, energy delivery and clean energy. Not only was I in attendance, but I was first to raise my hand to volunteer my time and I became a leader in my surroundings. This was not a sales technique without a genuine appreciation for the work of the folks I was associating with. I remain the #2 Auto Sales Professional on a list offered by the Minnesota Electric Vehicle Owner's Group, the most utilized list in the Twin Cities, even though I left the business in January 2018.
My involvement in these communities put my name front and center when folks were planning additional events or looking for an industry expert to join their panel. I accepted every invitation that my schedule allowed. I continue to make myself available for public and private events.
Why was this important? Because the public's perception about General Motors and Chevrolet are very negative in the Electric Vehicle arena and I found it imperative to have a voice at the table that would promote the vehicles that I believe GM and Chevrolet will eventually massively distribute in the Midwest. This common feeling is because folks in these circles remember the EV1 and they blame GM for it's demise. They blame GM for the slow roll-out of electric vehicles in the midwest because of how the Carb State rules affect distribution. They do not have faith that GM is operating in good faith because they don't see any advertising or other efforts to sell these vehicles in this market. Many folks do not understand why GM and Chevrolet are not in the charging business and why we wouldn't invest heavily in infrastructure. Another common concern is the lack of interest among dealerships demonstrated by the limitations of dealer inclusion. While I worked to discourage these beliefs, the opinion of many folks went unchanged.

Environment
I worked with top management, the Service Department and the controller at Rosedale to expand our infrastructure in a big way. We previously powered a single level two, sixteen amp charger that was often blocked by service vehicles or used by the service department. We added a DC Fast Charging device along with six 32 AMP Level 2 chargers. For the record, we had to add an entire transformer just for our electric vehicle charging wall!
We also committed three valuable parking spaces for "Charging Only" and an additional three as "Electric Vehicle Parking". We added signage onsite and welcomed public multi-brand charging by listing our charging capabilities on the popular charger infrastructure websites.
We made a pledge to offer free WiFi, snacks and our facilities to EV drivers whether they were simply charging their vehicle, shopping for their next EV or having a bit of work done in our service department.
We dedicated one of a handful of Service Advisers to become "EV Advisers", trained two full-time technicians and properly stocked tools and parts. No matter which department you visited, you could find a fan of EVs like the one that you drive.
This was a huge investment into EV's during a time when Rosedale Chevrolet was the only dealership in the entire Twin Cities making this type of investment. I was also the only guy in town saying, "I can pre-sell and deliver 100 BoltEV"!

Order
We accepted our first deposit for a BoltEV order almost exactly one year before we would receive the first deliveries in the Twin Cities. (Rosedale Chev also sold a Volt about a year before they became available.) We placed orders, traded allocations or otherwise obtained over one hundred 2017 BoltEVs through a well organized pre-order program and aggressively hunting down cars to deliver. I created brochures, flyers, forms and gimmicks. We accepted orders, including speculative colors and options, at events all across the area as well as at the dealership.
I provided appointment only detailed dealership visits to prospective buyers, answering all types of questions and spending an average of 68 minutes per appointment. The desk and walk around presentations were tailored to create trust in my knowledge of the technology and to show the public that they can benefit from this all-new vehicle. My designated test drive route included elements to highlight features specific to BoltEV or Volt, including regenerative braking and impressive acceleration.

Delivery
I created pre-delivery actions to help organize the delivery process. For example, once an order was accepted and verified by Chevrolet Production, I would send an template email update and it would ask about aftermarket products and accessories. I would include the first mention of select protection products. Once the order moved into production, I sent a template email with a form for the client to order items previously mentioned and I'd obtain information relevant to the next step including miles driven per year, any private discounts and other finance department items.
I was setting up the next step with every step completed. By the time the vehicle was on a transport to Minnesota, I already sold weather protection, decals and wraps, tint and accessories. I had already gathered a credit application and  information needed to present lease and purchase figures. My intent was to simplify and streamline the delivery process and experience.
Once the client came in (or received off-site delivery), we had the paperwork ready or almost ready to go (except F&I items) and most aftermarket work could already be completed. I offered three delivery types including standard in-person delivery demonstration, express delivery and video delivery demonstration. I created 360° and standard videos that contained the same content as an in-person delivery including explanation of all features, how to work everything and best operating practices. These videos were also made available via YouTube. This allowed out-state clients the ability to complete their purchase remotely and folks who chose to skip the full demonstration could always refer to the videos.


Wrap
In the end, we sold and delivered a lot of Chevrolet's all-new fully electric car in the Twin Cities. Myself and Rosedale Chevrolet earned and remain number 1 in Chevrolet's electric vehicle sales. We sold more EVs than all other dealerships in our zone, combined. We made huge waves in this market and the activities of other dealerships after our efforts shows it. We could have sold more. We could have reached more folks. How?

Next
First, please let me clear up that neither Rosedale Chevrolet nor myself chose to part ways. I have a son who was hospitalized in January 2018 and required my full attention for over a year during his recovery. Deliveries of BoltEV began in late October 2017, so luckily I was able to fulfill my obligations to my pre-order clients. Unfortunately, after building this machine at Rosedale, it doesn't make sense to return after over a year to restart my sales program. I feel that it is time for a larger adventure; one with a wider reach for my audience. It would not be fair for me to collect a salary at Rosedale Chevrolet with dreams of all of our competition selling more EVs. I am not interested in simply selling vehicles. I want to create a massive impact bringing more and more electric and autonomous vehicle to our roadways. I believe in the Mary Barra's concept of "Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion" and I want to be a big part of it! 
So, I am moving forward. Where? With whom? I'm not sure, yet..
I was planning to insert some of my concepts and ideas of how we get to Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion, but I've decided to save that for another article that I will write early this week. Stay tuned...

Please feel free to share, comment or otherwise enjoy this article. I am open to input and as a lifelong learner, I hope to expand my knowledge with your help.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Looking Forward with Chevrolet Electric and Autonomous Vehicles



The year 2017 was a productive and progressive for Chevrolet as a brand. We saw a full year of Chevy Volt sales and the staggered national rollout of the All-Electric Chevy BoltEV. We also heard many hints to what is in our near future. This blog will touch on what has been announced for Chevrolet and what I hope/wish to see come to fruition in the coming months and years.
Many of you already know that I am a Chevrolet Certified Electric Vehicles Specialists which has afforded me the ability to hone in my skills and knowledge to this specific topic area. What you may not yet realize is that my expansion of knowledge also includes the development of autonomous safety features in vehicles. These two areas of focus, I call it EAV (Electric Autonomous Vehicle) development, while General Motors and Chevrolet have dubbed EV and AV separately. I firmly believe that EAV's will take over the automotive market in the United States in the next five years, which is half the time that many analysts are betting on.
One reason that I foresee a faster "go to market" plan for Chevrolet (as well as General Motors) is that there are many benefits of utilizing these types of vehicles in the short term as well as far into the future. General Motors has announced new 20 All Electric Vehicle Models by 2023. We currently offer autonomous safety features on over 20 GM models. Here is why I think we will move faster than what is being projected or discussed:

  • Gas Prices: The fact is that gas prices has been stable for quite some time at historically low prices, averaging around $2.50 per gallon nationwide. As a 40-year old consumer, I would not bet on these low fuel prices continuing. Right now, buying a Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is a fantastic choice because you can take advantage of the low gas prices while running the onboard generator (42 mpg) and you benefit from having the availability to plug in to get some even cheaper miles. 
  • Emerging Safety based Autonomous Features: We are seeing more and more autonomous features being used for their increased safety benefits in all types of vehicles. We already have vehicles that avoid crashes, automatically brake for pedestrians, steer you into your lane and automatically parallel park. Cadillac has vehicles on the road that can navigate freeways without the assistance of the driver as well as vehicles that can communicate with other vehicles and infrastructure. This is the the path to a future with zero road fatalities that GM has in it's sights.
  • Shop Local: Another benefit of moving to Electric Vehicles now is that it gives us energy independence in a few different ways. First, we become less dependant on oil products from overseas when our demand for gas goes down. Second we use more and more clean renewable energy sources for electricity in the United States. The third benefit is that money that we spend on Electricity, particularly in Minnesota, stays local because we have coops and other local companies for our electric companies. 
  • Public charging infrastructure is building out faster than originally projected. I saw one figure that indicated that the number of publicly available vehicle chargers grew by 1800% in 2017 and that "Fast Charging" networks grew by 1200%. There are holes to fill in with charging capability, but we are getting them fired up.
One of the larger obstacles of rolling out a fully EAV fleet across the General Motors brand involves many moving parts. Let's examine a few of the barriers to a fully electric autonomous fleet of vehicles and how we can quickly resolve those:
  • Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. Currently there are a lot of areas of the United States where interstate travel is difficult for a 100% Electric Vehicle due to lack of charging infrastructure. Many cities have programs to expand this network and there are nonprofit organizations all across the country committed to expanding the network. Funds from the VW settlement as well as grants from the US Dept of Energy and other government agencies are fueling the expansion of the EV friendly travel zones. 
    • By educating the private sector and supporting the public sector in expanding charging capacity nationwide, General Motors could lead the charge. Here's my thoughts to rapidly expand the national charging infrastructure within a short period of time:
      • Incentivize GM's ~5,000 dealerships (estimated and not confirmed) to install 50-150 kW chargers within certain areas of coverage. IE: Dealers no further than 50 or 100 miles apart get rewarded for installing charging capability that is made available to the public. If multiple dealers are located within the mileage range, it will encourage them to apply for and install these chargers faster to acquire the incentives. 
        • An example of a dealer based incentive: 100% equipment cost recovered over 3 years, 100% of installation (with expansion capability requirement) recovered over 5 years and 50% Energy Consumption (charging units track this) recovered with the ability to recover 100% of the electric bill as a sales and service incentive (train your staff and get more back) with the knowledge that some of the dealers will also qualify for local, state, federal and utility based rebate programs as well, so they may actually profit from this.
      • Make arrangement with local and national lodging partners, fuel providers and retailers to encourage them to offer charging options. Work out group purchase programs for charging units, assist to negotiate with national electrical contractors to cut costs and require new contracts with GM to include provisions to expand the infrastructure.
      • Offer grants, expertise and resources to governmental and nonprofit organizations to assist them to expand the charging networks in targeted areas.
  • EV Charge Times need to be decreased. Most of the "Fast Chargers" across the country are pushing 50 kW of power while many EVs in our immediate future can take 150 kW of power. Unfortunately, some areas have difficulty handling that much power for multiple chargers at a particular location. Private industry incurs a significant expense to add the higher powered chargers for their customers or employees. 
    • Utilize additional resources such as renewable energy from solar and wind to get the power where it is needed. 
    • Put a focus on "Immediate Gratification" charging. Even if the vehicle only charged up to 100 miles, if it took under five minutes, folks would be excited!
  • Autonomous Vehicle laws and regulations are not currently set up in most states. Many states will need to review current laws with regard to autonomous vehicle operation. Can a person sleep and let the car drive? Can I read a book? Can my car travel by itself? Can a person consume alcoholic beverages while in the vehicle? Who is responsible for driverless vehicles?
    • Set up a grassroots organization including local, regional and national individuals, nonprofits and other organizations to work on getting things set up nationwide.
    • Work with other manufacturers on a national level to acquire the regulations that may become an issue later. Proactively create responsible rules to create safe roadways.
  • Intercontinental AV communication systems are behind in-vehicle technology. What I am referring to here is the ability for the vehicle to communicate with the roadway system to learn that traffic is backed up along my route, that ice or snow is accumulating on bridge decks, is there an obstruction ahead? Communication between vehicles is also important and currently lacking. Will all manufacturers join a single vehicle communications network or will each automaker have their own system that must interface with the others?
    • Put a team together that will focus on developing communication systems with a focus on centralized access and interconnectivity. 
    • Work closely with competitive brands to normalize these systems including security of access for every vehicle. 
  • Public Education is possibly the largest barrier that we face. Simply stated; Folks are scared and extremely reluctant to give up their control of a vehicle to a computer. Some people love to drive. The main focus on educating the public must be to let them know that they can retain control while still enjoying the safety of these systems when a crisis or dangerous event is unfolding.
    • Ease into it. You don't have to jump into a fully autonomous vehicle right away. First, let's give a few autonomous features a try such as automatic pedestrian braking and steering you back into your lane if you drift off a bit. Next, lets try the collision avoidance system. Once these systems save a few lives and folks are talking about their experiences, the drivers will be ready for the next step; Automatic Parking.
So what is available from GM today? What is coming in 2018? What is coming in 2019?
Currently, you can get at least partial electric miles in many models including the Malibu Hybrid, Spark EV, Volt, CT6 and BoltEV. The only GM vehicle currently in mass production that is Fully Electric and available in the USA is the BoltEV.

Active and Passive Autonomous Vehicle Safety Feature Description and Availability:
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert 
    • Warns if object is approaching from right or left while in reverse
      • Available on many models.
  • Blind Zone Alert 
    • Indicator on exterior mirror if object is in blind zone
      • Available on most models.
  • Lane Change Alert 
    • Camera mounted in windshield warns if you leave your lane without a signal
      • Available on most models.
  • Lane Keep Assist 
    • Camera mounted in windshield helps steer you into your lane if you vear out of it
      • Available on most models.
  • Low Speed Automatic Pedestrian Braking 
    • Using Sensors, Vehicle Applies brakes if object is detected crossing in front of vehicle at low speeds
      • Available on many models.
  • Mid/High Speed Collision Avoidance Warning 
    • Using sensors and/or radar, monitors traffic in front of you, their speed and your approach speed. Warns if collision is probable without action
      • Available on many models.
  • Mid/High Speed Collision Avoidance Braking
    • Using sensors and/or radar, applies brakes to avoid imminent collision.
      • Available on many models.
  • Freeway Hands Free Driving aka Super Cruise
    • Using data regarding freeway system along with sensors and cameras, vehicle is able to maneuver limited access freeways including lane changes, speed adjustments and obstruction avoidance. Driver must pay attention and retain controls as a camera is mounted in dash to observe your eye movements.
      • Available on Cadillac CT6. Coming soon to other models.
  • Vehicle to Vehicle Communications
    • Allows vehicles to communicate with one another in multiple vehicle situations such as traffic flow and stop and go efficiency improvements, route planning and obstruction avoidance.
      • In testing with Cadillac CT6 and other models. 
  • Vehicle to Infrastructure Communications
    • Vehicles will know if a bridge, roadway or other infrastructure has a variable such as ice, rain, traffic disruptions or other adjustments needed to increase efficiencies.
      • In the early stages of R&D.
  • Adaptive Cruise Control
    • When cruise control is initiated, the sensors and cameras will monitor traffic in front of you and make adjustments to your speed via decreased acceleration or braking to match the vehicle in front of you.
      • Available on select models including Large SUV's, Highest Trim Levels of sedans and the Chevy Volt.
  • Fully Autonomous Vehicle
    • Vehicle has the ability to fully drive itself with or without a human inside. 
      • Almost ready to roll out nationwide. The Chevy BoltEV and other models have been through millions of miles of testing including with GM's subsidiary company Cruise Automation out of San Francisco. 
      • You can currently hail a Lyft ride in select cities across America and have a fully autonomous vehicle show up to give you a ride.
Cars.com published this information in March 2017:
GM's U.S. brands are Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC. These cars offer adaptive cruise control:
  • 2017 Buick LaCrosse
  • 2017 Buick Regal
  • 2017 Cadillac ATS
  • 2017 Cadillac Escalade
  • 2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • 2017 Chevrolet Impala
  • 2017 Chevrolet Suburban
  • 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe
  • 2017 GMC Yukon
  • 2017 GMC Yukon XL
These cars have adaptive cruise control and self-park steering:
  • 2017 Buick Envision
  • 2017 Cadillac CTS
  • 2017 Cadillac CT6
  • 2017 Cadillac XT5
  • 2017 Cadillac XTS
  • 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
  • 2017 Chevrolet Volt
Some GM cars have a lane keep assist feature that applies steering to mitigate lane departure, but "none are designed to steer the vehicle without the driver's hands on the wheel," spokesman Tom Wilkinson told us.
General Motors has announced that they will release 20 New Electric Vehicles in America by 2023. We anticipate a Buick Crossover as well as something new from either Cadillac or GMC in 2019. I anticipate additional electrification and automation of vehicles in Chevrolet's line as well including widely available (possibly every model) autonomous safety features by 2020. I think that we will see the BoltEV line expanded to include additional trim levels and possibly a cheaper option. I expect to see a crossover similar to the Equinox or Traverse in 2020 and the elimination of the Volt as we know it in 2022 to be replaced by a small sized hatchback similar to the Cruze Liftback. The Corvette is being changed in 2019 allowing speculation about a mid-engine (motor) hybrid or electric super car. The Camaro now offers a small four cylinder, leading me to dream of a fully electric version perhaps when it is restyled in 2021. There is no reason that every model shouldn't offer a 100% electric or other hybrid system.

Hybrid drivetrains have sold poorly in the truck and large SUV markets. Chevrolet is offering "E-Assist" on light duty Silverados in 2018 which is basically a hybrid electric motor assisting the lower-end torque for towing and other truck duties. This does not improve fuel economy and it is not being called "Hybrid". I fully expect electric heavy and light duty pickup trucks and large SUVs by 2022, perhaps with a generator and perhaps not. One barrier for these vehicles is that the drivers/owners of this type of vehicle do not have much interest in driving electric. Another obstacle is making the truck convenient for folks on the jobsite.

I fully anticipate every General Motors model to offer autonomous safety features and many of those features will become standard for our vehicle fleet.

On the road to Zero Emissions and Zero Deaths with GM Vehicles!

~Dave Troy~

*Update: I just want to clarify that I am a salesperson at a Chevrolet Dealer. I do not have inside information and I can not confirm or deny claims and personal opinions in this blog as being accurate or actual. 

Saturday, December 30, 2017

December 2017 EV News

2017 in the rearview
What a year! We began, here at Rosedale Chevrolet, in a hustle to show everybody how fantastic the All-New Chevy BoltEV was and to get one here to allow test drives. After a failed attempt to get a BoltEV from Chevrolet, we were able to purchase a retail BoltEV from a dealer in California. We were giddy with excitement when the BoltEV arrived in late February, just in time for our BoltEV Launch Event and the Twin Cities Auto Show.
With a guaranteed expedited allocation of up to 150 units, we began aggressively seeking orders in the sneaky way of providing high quality information, demonstrating the vast benefits of the vehicle and essentially just sharing gained knowledge acquired during the process. Many other dealers were boasting that we would not be able to fulfill our customer orders, but we were confident in Chevrolet getting us those vehicles. We were able to gather 61 orders prior to the day Chevrolet opened up our ability to place the orders. The first deliveries arrived in mid August. We were happy to send 96 BoltEV’s and 31 Volts on Minnesota Roads in 2017.
Thank you for helping us Lead the Charge!

EV Tax Credit
Great news for folks waiting until 2018 to buy their Chevrolet Electric Vehicle; The EV Tax Credit was not eliminated by the Tax Reform Bill. This $7,500 Tax Credit offers an incentive for folks buying a new Chevrolet Electric Vehicle directly on your tax return. The elimination of the credit was proposed in the House Bill, tabled on the Senate bill and ultimately not included in the signed and sealed final version. What’s next? The budget bill will be debated over the coming weeks and months and we may again see the EV Tax Credit on the chopping block.
Chevrolet is currently projected to reach its 200,000 unit limit for the credit near May of 2018. If this proves true, we will begin our phase out process for the credit in July 2018. This means that you can receive the full credit for two-quarters, or effectively, the entire 2018 year. The second phase out is to cut the credit in half for two-quarters, so the first half of 2019 will see a $3,750 max credit. The final phase is a quarter credit, or $1,875 for the second half of 2019. The credit would then end.
If you have questions or would like to discuss this further, give us a ring!

2018 Model Changes
Volt:
  • Improved audio speaker system on LT.
  • Available LT Driver Confidence Package with Blind Zone Monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Park Assist. (Requires Leather Package and Comfort Package)
  • Delete Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel on LT. (Available with Comfort Package)
  • Delete Colors: Siren Red Tintcoat, Citron Green Metallic, Heather Gray Metallic and Pepperdust Metallic
  • Add Colors: Cajun Red Tintcoat, Green Mist Metallic and Satin Steel Metallic
BoltEV:
  • Heated Steering Wheel becomes part of the Automatic Climate Control System.
  • Delete Map Pocket behind front passenger seat.
  • Pricing is the same.
Upcoming Changes and Predictions:
It has been widely speculated that 2019 will be the year of updates for Chevrolet and the launch of other GM Electric Vehicles. We already know that GM will release 23 EVs by 2023, but what does that mean for Chevrolet? I will share what I know, what I anticipate and what I hope here.
I know that Buick will release a BoltEV based BEV in a small crossover vehicle. I anticipate an all-wheel drive option and more of the desirable features such as power seats, plush leather, KeyPass and perhaps Adaptive Cruise Control. I hope that this vehicle has more Autonomous Safety Features including Active Crash Avoidance hardware and vehicle to vehicle communications.
I anticipate a GMC small or midsize crossover vehicle to emerge in 2019. This vehicle may utilize PHEV tech from Volt or may see an improvement in size, capacity or charging. I hope that this is a more utilitarian version of the Buick with the ability to tow your family boat or small camper.
I hope that we see improvement to the BoltEV including a faster home charging options, faster DC Fast Charging capability (150KW) and new features. I hope that Adaptive Cruise Control and additional Autonomous Safety Features become available or standard. I anticipate DC Fast Charging becoming a standard feature.
I hope to see a revised and improved Volt with a 30kwh battery and 100+ mile electric range and the ability to control the range extending engine. I hope that it get a little taller, but I doubt this.
What changes would you like to see for future model years of Chevy BoltEV and Volt? CLICK HERE to join in on the conversation.

Charging Infrastructure Updates
Minnesota and most of the Midwest’s public charging infrastructure for Chevrolet plug-in vehicles are expanding rapidly! WIth EV Corridors spanning I94 from Detroit to Fargo, I90 from Detroit to Sioux Falls and I35 from Duluth to Texas, we are finally seeing interstate travel as an option for electric vehicle drivers. ZEF Energy (clickable) is a local company taking charge of many local DC Fast Chargers across the upper midwest. Matthew Blackler, President of ZEF Energy had this to say in a recent post to the MN Plug-in Electric Vehicle Owners Circle group on Facebook (clickable):
Would you like to see DCFC's in every corner of the state? Would you like to see multiple DCFC's in every location, to provide a resilient network?
With the discretionary 15% funds available from the VW State money, up to $7Million would be available for this build out. ZEF Energy has enough sites committed that we could cover the whole state by the end of 2018, if the MPCA greenlights the project.
BUT: the MPCA needs to hear from YOU! I urge all of you to contact the MPCA, highlighting why it is so important to have these discretionary funds made available for EV Infrastructure. It would allow ALL residents of MN to take advantage of EVs, and for drivers to get into every corner of the state.
Email: vwsettlement.pca@state.mn.us (Clickable)
They want to hear from people like you!

Events
Rosedale Chevrolet EV representatives David Troy, Roger Ratajczak, Jon Shelton and Shane Sutton can be found at various public and private events across the midwest. 2017 was a fun year for events including the Twin Cities Auto Show, MN State Fair Eco Experience, Dairyland Power Membership meeting, MN Plug-in Electric Vehicle Owners meetings, Safety Fair, Fleet Services, many ride n drives including 3M, Medtronic, Boston Sci and others plus educational events at various high schools, colleges and other institutions. We even offered up the use of a BoltEV for a silent auction with Minnesota Renewable Energy Society!
We recently held our first Rosedale Chevrolet EV Owners Event at the dealership. We had over 50 folks, including our EV Technician, EV Sales Team and others, join us for fantastic food and beverages and we had an informative conversation and question and answer session. We will continue hosting these types of events.
We anticipate participating in more events in 2018 with commitments for the Twin Cities Auto Show in the Electric Room, MN State Fair and others as we can find them. We are also working to put together an EV focused car show for the spring where we will invite other brands and private owners of traditional and homemade EVs. I hope to have a band here as well as other entertainment and various vendors. If you have contact with vendors or a band or group that might be interested in playing for us, please let us know.
Do you know of an event that we should bring the Chevy EVs to? Are you part of a forum where our experts could be beneficial to your group? Do you teach a class that could gain knowledge with our help? Do you have a charity cruise or other event that we can assist with?

Pre-Owned EV Market Update
We have seen a huge uptick in demand for all brands of Electric Vehicles including Chevrolet products. In an already competitive used vehicle market, we saw an influx of out-of-town dealers at auctions and other buying opportunities. These dealers were often from disaster areas of the country such as Texas, Florida and now we are seeing California dealers as well. Over 200,000 vehicles were destroyed in Austin Texas alone! This, in part, is causing increased values for vehicles especially electric vehicles.
Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius have all experienced up to 27% value increases over the last 7 months. Think about this: I sold a 2013 Leaf in August for $6,900 retail that is now worth more than that as a trade value. Volts have been the same way. One difficulty with these valuations is regarding loans for these vehicles. The “Book out” which is a valuation tool used by lenders to determine debt to value, are skewed with the old values. Therefore, some folks with tight budgets or not so great credit may experience difficulty getting their used EV auto loans approved.
I BUY ALL EV’s from ALL BRANDS whether or not you buy from me!

New Chevy EV Inventory
New Chevrolet Electric Vehicle inventory is low across the country right now. As we await the arrival of our first 2018 BoltEVs, we are seeing a delay in acquiring Volts as well. We currently have 10 BoltEVs coming in around the middle of January with another 12 possibly arriving in late January. We sold out on our first arrivals of Volt and have another couple dozen in the pipeline.
The great news is that we have built a unique reputation around the midwest of being a high volume EV dealership which has helped us to find additional units to bring in. In fact, when other dealers are in need of a different model such as Silverado, they start with us if they have an EV to trade. We look to buy EVs from other dealers across the country as well.
We have had 94% success rate for acquiring BoltEVs that folks desire.
If you would like to put your name on an incoming unit or if you would like us to go to work to get you the EV you desire, give our EV Team a call today!
Pre-Owned EV Inventory

2008 TOYOTA PRIUS 5DR HB BASE $5,950

FUEL EFFICIENT 45 MPG Hwy/48 MPG City!, 124k Miles, PRICED TO MOVE $1,200 below Kelley Blue Book! Base trim. CD Player, Keyless Start, Aluminum Wheels, Hybrid. 4 Star Driver Front Crash Rating

2014 CHEVROLET VOLT 5DR HB $14,985

Volt trim. GREAT MILES 50,128! FUEL EFFICIENT 40 MPG Hwy/35 MPG City! Navigation, AUDIO SYSTEM WITH NAVIGATION, CHEVROLET MYLINK RADIO WITH NAVIGATION, AM/FM STEREO WITH CD PLAYER AND MP3 PLAYBACK CAPABILITY, Satellite Radio
EXTERIOR BROWNSTONE METALLIC ~ INTERIOR PEBBLE BEIGE/DARK ACCENTS

2013 CHEVROLET VOLT 5DR HB $14,985

Volt trim. EPA 40 MPG Hwy/35 MPG City! LOW MILES - 37,615! Satellite Radio, Onboard Communications System, Remote Engine Start, ENGINE, RANGE EXTENDER, 1.4L INTERNAL... AUDIO SYSTEM, CHEVROLET MYLINK RADIO... Aluminum Wheels
EXTERIOR BLUE TOPAZ METALLIC ~ INTERIOR JET BLACK SEATS/CERAMIC WHITE ACCENTS

We also just bought four more Gen1 Volts. Gen2 Volts and other brand EVs are tough to find right now. I am looking to buy! If you or anybody that you know is looking to sell an EV, please ask them to contact us!

Friday, November 17, 2017

November 2017 EV News

Welcome to this edition of the Rosedale Chevrolet EV News

Federal Tax Credit
There was news out of Washington late last week about a “Tax Reform” bill being proposed by Republicans that would eliminate the Electric Vehicle Tax Credit program as of December 31st, 2017. This proposal has sent shockwaves throughout America and has pushed up timelines for prospective EV buyers. While I will not discuss my personal views about the proposal, I will tell you that we are able to do a few things to help:
  • Factory Orders may be placed for another week or so and we can guarantee that you can sign your paperwork prior to the end of the program.
  • I can always try to acquire EVs from other local dealers as part of the great relationship Rosedale Chevrolet has developed.
  • We have access to hundreds of BoltEV and Volts across the country.
If you would like to ensure that you can qualify for the tax credit, now is the time to get your order into Chevrolet and/or place your order with me.

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Sales Data
October EV sales data brought some surprising improvements and shocking declines in the monthly figures. BoltEV sales jumped resulting in more BoltEVs being delivered than all Tesla Models combined. BoltEV and Volt figures topped all of Tesla, Nissan and Toyota EV’s combined. We saw a slight uptick in BoltEV deliveries while Volt slipped a bit. With it’s current pace, BoltEV is likely going to end 2017 as the #1 sold EV in America!

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Free EV Charging @ Rosedale Chev
Rosedale Chevrolet is proud to offer more public EV charging capability than any other Minnesota Dealer. We offer free charging for all brands of vehicles to the public absolutely FREE. You can use one of five 32amp Level-2 Chargers with J-1772 plugs on the south side of our building, a DC Fast Charger with CCS plug on the south end or a 16 amp Level 2 on the west side. We also pledge to put at least a little charge onto every EV that runs through our service department. If you encounter our chargers in use or blocked, please see Dave Troy or Roger R in the sales department.

Rosedale Chev is going Solar
Rosedale Chevrolet is looking at options to add solar to our building. So far, we have heard from one provider who proposed 244kW installation producing over 292,000 kWh every year. This array would save us $23,000+ yearly. We are interested to see/hear a couple of additional proposals from local solar vendors. If you know somebody who should offer us a bid, please let me know or ask them to call me directly.

Chevrolet EV Leadership
Receiving national recognition wasn’t the goal when we decided that we wanted to be an electric vehicle destination. Our goals were simple: We realized a potential to put a lot of EVs on Minnesota roads, increase sales overall and to help our world. The growing results have been exciting to be a part of and you are a part of this.
Rosedale Chevrolet is the #1 Chevy EV Dealer in the greater midwest. Roger R is an EV Leader in MN and David Troy is the #1 Chevy EV Salesperson outside of California. We have an EV Certified Service Advisor, three Certified EV Techs and a fully supportive Service Manager. We also have three sales people, our General Sales Manger, two Technicians and the owner’s son who drive EV’s.
It is one thing to provide top notch service to our clients, and Rosedale Chev does great with this. It is a whole other thing to properly demonstrate electric vehicles to all levels of study of EV shoppers. We have conducted well over 1,000 personalized presentations, displayed the BoltEV to over 16,000 folks at various events around the upper midwest and we pride ourselves in the knowledge that we have obtained in the process. Thank you for your continued support.

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Rosedale Chev BoltEV VIP Complimentary Maintenance Package
Rosedale Chevrolet offers an exclusive BoltEV VIP Maintenance Package to everybody who buys or leases a 2017 BoltEV. This package covers your tire rotation every 7,500 miles, in-cabin air filters every 22,500 miles and a set of wiper blades around 50,000 miles. This package is provided free of charge and must be performed at Rosedale Chevrolet. Maintenance tasks that are the responsibility of the buyer include changing tires at 30,000-50,000 miles, replacing brake fluid at 5yrs or 100k miles and flushing your coolant at 5yrs or 150,000 miles.

EV Events
We have a couple upcoming events at the dealership and one group meeting that you might be interested in.
  • November 16th, 2017 6-9pm~ Minnesota PEV Owners Circle Meeting
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  • December 13, 2017 6pm ~ New Electric Vehicle Owners Clinic
  • March 7th, 2018 6pm ~ Rosedale Chevrolet EV Celebration
  • June 3rd, 2018 ~ 1st Annual Rosedale Chevrolet EV Car Show

Chevrolet November Incentives
Chevrolet continues to provide great incentives on Volt as we push into winter. BoltEV and Volt have attractive lease and purchase terms. Costco members save extra with “Supplier” pricing (saves $1,200-1,700) plus you get a gift card from Costco for up to $700! Educators, members of the military and recent college grads also enjoy “Supplier” pricing. If anybody in your household leases any brand vehicle, you save more!

Available Plug-in EV, Plug-in Hybrid EV and Hybrid Vehicles at Rosedale Chevrolet

NEW 2018 CHEVROLET VOLT PREMIER

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$40,725

NEW 2018 CHEVROLET VOLT PREMIER

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$38,725

NEW 2017 CHEVROLET VOLT PREMIER

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$34,895

NEW 2018 CHEVROLET VOLT LT

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$34,555

NEW 2018 CHEVROLET VOLT LT

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$31,985

USED 2017 CHEVROLET VOLT PREMIER

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$27,990 18k Miles

CERTIFIED 2016 CHEVROLET VOLT LT

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$24,985 29k miles

CERTIFIED 2015 CHEVROLET VOLT LT

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$18,965 33k miles

USED 2014 CHEVROLET VOLT

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$16,985 44k miles

NEW 2017 CHEVROLET BOLT EV PREMIER

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE $44,245

USED 2009 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID (CVT) HYBRID SEDAN

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$4,950 110k miles

CERTIFIED 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID

ROSEDALE "NO BULL" PRICE$22,985 16k Miles

Buying ALL EVs
We Buy All Brands of EV’s for Top Dollar! Our top guide for buying vehicles is KBB.com where you can look up your trade value. I want to buy your EV!
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EV-ON!
Rosedale Chevrolet
Electric Vehicle Department
(Click Name above to Email)
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