NADA aims to turn car dealers into EV experts in 90 minutes

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has launched a certification program it claims can turn car salespeople into EV experts in just 90 minutes.

Called ElectrifIQ, the program aims to prepare dealers to address common consumer questions, relating to things like charging times and costs, total cost of ownership, and available incentives, according to an NADA press release. All that knowledge comes at a price of $199 per person or $495 per dealership.

The program was developed with input from the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), which has already administered statewide EV incentive programs and worked with state dealer associations in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Oregon on EV training, the NADA noted.

Traditional franchised dealers still appear reticent about EVs. A recent survey, albeit one tapping into a very small sample set, found that dealers think the Biden administration is moving too fast on EVs. More than half of dealers who participated in that survey also said they hadn’t signed up to offer federal EV tax credits as point-of-sale rebates.

Just as Consumer Reports has found several times over the years, dealers push buyers away from EVs—and it’s a trend not exclusive to the U.S.

But with Fisker and Vinfast recently announcing pivots to franchised dealers, augmented their previous Tesla-like model of direct sales, times may be changing. Fisker said last month that it planned to add 50 franchised dealerships alongside company-owned showrooms, while the first franchised Vinfast dealership opened in North Carolina (where the company also plans to build a factory) in December.