America’s new-car and -truck dealers are committed to promoting electrification and helping consumers find the vehicles that are right for them. Dealers are doing their part to be ready for the increasing electrification of the fleet and are investing billions of dollars to facilitate an unbeatable consumer experience when it comes to EV education, sales and service across the entire market. For example:

Franchised dealers have invested $6 billion in EV inventory as of 2024, and in fact have purchased more EVs to date than anyone else.

Dealers will invest another $5 billion in facilities, service equipment, chargers and training by the end of the decade.

The share of electric vehicles sold by franchised dealers is far surpassing the share sold by any other sales method, including direct manufacturer sales.

The Biden Administration’s policy actions related to vehicle emissions and fuel economy– including the final Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for new vehicles during model years 2027-2032 – disregard critical demand-side marketplace factors that are driven 100% by consumer preferences.

The final EPA vehicle emissions rule remains too aggressive and far ahead of consumer demand. Our experience working with customers every day makes us highly skeptical that consumers will adopt EVs anywhere near the levels required.

Hybrids
Consumers – not lawmakers, regulators or automakers – will dictate the pace of EV adoption. Public policy should be focused on turning over the combustion fleet, getting consumers used to charging and getting cleaner vehicles – including plug-in hybrids – on the road as quickly as possible. 

Plug-in hybrid vehicles can achieve most zero emission commutes but are still easy to charge at home with a 120- or 240-volt charger. And gasoline backup eliminates anxiety about finding an open fast charger.