Leaders at Colorado’s Phil Lengthy Dealerships have seen shopper curiosity in electrical autos develop and know the forecast from automakers is for a lot of extra EVs nicely into the longer term.

In order that they opted to transform a vacant web site in Colorado Springs, Colo., close to a number of of the group’s franchised dealerships, right into a used-vehicle-only dealership centered solely on EVs and hybrids. And the enterprise has proved worthwhile.

“All that new product pipeline coming down the street actually introduced house to us that we’re dwelling in a time proper now the place it is the least quantity of electrical autos on the street proper now for the remainder of our lifetimes,” Kevin Shaughnessy, Phil Lengthy’s vice chairman of vendor operations and accomplice, advised Automotive Information. “It will proceed. It is solely going to get larger and greater and greater.”

The Phil Lengthy EV Outlet opened in Might 2021 and has expanded month-to-month gross sales, which now vary between 18 and 22 autos a month, up from 12 to fifteen within the retailer’s early months, mentioned Peter Buckles, basic supervisor of the shop.

“Each month it looks like it goes up only a bit, particularly since fuel costs are on the rise,” he mentioned. “It looks like there’s been extra curiosity in electrical autos simply prior to now few months.”

The outlet’s stock ranges from Tesla’s Mannequin 3, Mannequin S and Mannequin X to the Ford Mustang Mach-E, BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt EV and Nissan Leaf.

“One of many obstacles for lots of people is the worth on EVs,” Shaughnessy mentioned. “We seen that there was a marketplace for acquisition of EVs at a a lot cheaper price.”

Phil Lengthy EV Outlet bought 117 electrical and hybrid autos from Might 2021 by means of 12 months’s finish and 56 such autos through the first three months of 2022. It is only a small fraction of the corporate’s complete gross sales. Phil Lengthy Dealerships of Colorado Springs ranks No. 95 on Automotive Information‘ record of the highest 150 dealership teams based mostly within the U.S., with retail gross sales of 10,801 new autos in 2021. The group bought 12,070 used autos final 12 months.

Buckles mentioned Phil Lengthy EV Outlet just isn’t solely a one-stop store for patrons in search of EVs; it additionally has grow to be a spot the place EV drivers can recharge their autos for 20 cents a kilowatt-hour. The lot has 10 EV chargers, together with 4 quick chargers.

Inside the shop, these clients — some who discover the chargers by way of navigation programs and hop off close by I-25 — can seize a drink and calm down, Buckles and Shaughnessy mentioned.

“We constructed it totally different than a conventional used-car dealership,” Shaughnessy mentioned. “It is constructed extra like a group lounge. It is meant to be a spot the place clients can park their vehicles, cost them [and] hang around.”

The shop final month held an Earth Day-focused occasion that Phil Lengthy leaders deliberate to offer group members check drives in EVs and extra details about charging. The intention was that extra data and publicity to EVs might in the end drive shopper visitors to the shop.

Buckles, who additionally oversees a close-by Kia dealership for the group, mentioned Phil Lengthy EV Outlet has three gross sales specialists and a gross sales supervisor. Service is obtainable on the Kia dealership, he mentioned.

Shaughnessy mentioned he thinks the EV outlet is uncommon. “We could be the tip of the spear on this,” he mentioned.

An estimated 20 p.c of the shop’s gross sales to this point are to consumers who dwell outdoors of Colorado Springs, Buckles mentioned.
“We have bought Teslas to folks that truly dwell in Florida,” he mentioned. “They will come out right here, purchase the automobile and drive it again.”

The shop’s greatest problem to date, Shaughnessy mentioned, is buying stock.

Buckles mentioned the dealership searches day by day throughout the nation for EVs to purchase and has bought autos from sellers in California, Florida and New York. He mentioned he additionally buys EV trade-ins at wholesale from native dealerships and thru the Phil Lengthy community.

Shaughnessy, who drives a Mach-E, mentioned Phil Lengthy’s leaders assume the EV outlet is able to promoting 50 autos a month.

“As we develop to that, then we’ll begin increasing, possibly including a second location or relocating into a bigger area,” he mentioned.