Why Your Dealership Should Consider Dealership EV Charging
If you’re a dealership looking to improve your business’ long-term profitability and value, now is the perfect time to invest in dealership EV charging stations.
As the demand for EV charging rises, outfitting your properties to support EV sales will become a critical part of your operations. There’s nothing worse for your bottom line than not being confident every EV in your fleet has enough charge to complete a test drive.
Turning to EV Charging installation professionals is the best way to future-proof your business.
Installation and Consultation Experts For Any EV Project
LilyPad EV is building the fueling network of the future and has pioneered charging station planning and installation since 2009. We offer extensive electrical expertise with trusted trade partners to provide effective solutions to meet your EV charging project expectations—no matter your industry.
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We’ve worked with over 500 companies across 45 states and have installed charging stations at over 5000 locations nationwide. Our stations have charged EVs more than 2 million times. Our services include comprehensive consultation for your EV charging needs, site surveys, project management, and professional EV charging station installation. With this expertise, you can rest assured that you’re receiving expert guidance when you come to us for information about the viability of dealership EV charging.
We’re committed to providing businesses with all the knowledge and information they need to make educated decisions regarding EV Charging investment. That’s why we’re here to explain everything you need to know about the lasting value EV Charging Stations can bring to your dealership.
Why Install EV Charging Stations Now?
If you’re a dealership, you’re likely already aware of the massive change electric vehicles pose to the automotive industry. After all, many US automakers plan to transition to producing at least 50% electric vehicles by the year 2030. On top of that, the bipartisan infrastructure bill has created initiatives to develop our electric vehicle infrastructure even further.
Interest in electric vehicle ownership is at an all-time high, and there are already nearly 2 million electric vehicles on the road across the country. At the same time, there are continuing significant developments in electric vehicle technologies.
This includes significant improvements to battery range making electric vehicles an increasingly attractive option for consumers, transportation services, and utility providers. It’s only a matter of time before electric car owners become a significant customer base in your market. You are doing yourself a disservice and leaving out a growing market segment by not considering making the transition.
While states like California already have firm initiatives to phase out combustion engine sales by 2035, other states (and the dealerships located there) aren’t moving as quickly. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s a good idea to wait. It’s essential to recognize the opportunity posed at this time in the EV Charging industry. Combustion isn’t going anywhere immediately, but there’s no better time to invest in the future of your dealership.
Read about the future of fuel →
The Experience
The major reason to invest in dealership EV charging stations right now: experience. EVs are coming. They’re going to be a major part of the automotive market and make up a sizable portion of all sales. It’s just a matter of time. If you wait to get in on the action, you won’t be equipped to provide your consumers with the services they want.
Experience with EVs—selling them and charging them—can make sure you aren’t left flat-footed when EVs start to really dominate the market. That’s why we recommend taking it slow. This isn’t a race; it’s an opportunity to practice. Install a smaller number of stations now to max out your state or utility company incentives, get practical experience, then expand later as demand and profitability suggest.
How to Implement Dealership EV Charging
If you choose to pursue dealership EV charging, you should remember that your ROI won’t necessarily look like the ROI of other industries. Your charger installation is a supplemental tool for selling EVs to consumers. This makes investing in dealership EV charging a necessary expense for future returns. In addition, most EV manufacturers require you have EV charging stations available on your property before they allow you to sell their EVs.
Luckily for you, we have a lot of information on how to do that effectively. As a dealership, you are likely working with a larger parking lot footprint than most types of buildings and gas stations and may have more options for placing the charging stations in your lot.
For a better understanding, here are the differences between the two levels of EV charging stations that we install.
Level 2 Charging
Level 2 charging is perfect for a dealership, as most vehicles on your lot won’t need to charge ASAP. Since you just need to keep your inventory topped off for customers, you can prioritize optimizing your lot for EV charging and sales instead of commercial charging.
This is the standard for commercial EV charging stations. Level 2 charging stations will charge cars nearly 4-5 times faster than Level 1 stations, with about 25 miles of travel or more per hour of charging. Ideal for public, fleet, or commercial EV charging.
Level 3 Charging / DCFC / Fast DC
The fastest option for charging, these Level 3 DC stations can provide 250 miles of driving range or more per hour of charging or more. Typically used along highway corridors, Level 3 charging stations enable traveling longer distances. Dealerships will also need the Fast DC options for quickly charging EVs that come in for service, test drives, and for the public.
We are an exclusive Tier 3 Channel Partner for ChargePoint, the top charging station manufacturer in North America. ChargePoint EV charging stations are quality products with options that fit every need and provide great support.
New Builds vs. Dealership Retrofitting
This process will evaluate what your dealership EV charging installation process will entail architecturally. Namely, will you install it into a new build site or retrofit an existing dealership layout to accommodate EV charging?
If you’re working with a new dealership build, you should strongly consider designing EV charging stations into the parking lot. However, if you need a retrofit, as is the more common occurrence, you will need to outfit your existing footprint to accommodate EV charging stations.
However, in both cases, paying attention to power needs is essential when pursuing EV charging installation. No matter the footprint you’re working with, you’ll likely need an additional electric service drop through your utility provider, which can take some time. Virtually no existing facilities have sufficient excess electric capacity necessary to accommodate lot-wide EV charging.
Take Advantage of Dealership EV Charging Incentives
So, now you know how EV charging can provide value and long-term benefits to your dealership. You’ve learned how it can benefit your business and things to keep in mind as you pursue specific types of dealership EV charging installation projects. How do you take advantage of this opportunity?
These incentives will disappear as the market develops and EV charging expands. They’re designed to make engaging in the market more attractive now when financial returns are more likely to be slow. Acting now means that your dealership can benefit from these grants and incentives for years to come.
Learn more about EV charging station Incentives→
LilyPad EV: EV Charging Experts For Your Business.
As EV charging infrastructure becomes more important to your dealership operations, having experience owning and operating dealership EV charging stations will be an invaluable asset to your business. The best way to gain that experience is to invest now.
You need someone with experience to help you navigate the planning, installation, and operation, and there’s no better partner than LilyPad EV.
The knowledge we’ve gained from over a decade of installing EV charging stations makes us an unmatched advisor in all things EV charging. LilyPad EV has been here since the very beginning of the EV market, and we offer optimized, expert, turnkey solutions to meet your EV charging needs and benefit your business.
Now more than ever, investing in the EV charging market can provide unbeatable value to your business. With the current need for electric vehicles only growing, outfitting your dealership will prime you for future business success.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation & learn more about how LilyPad EV is an ideal partner to help identify ROI maximization opportunities for your dealership!