Ford said on Thursday that half of all 1,550 Ford dealers chose to sell electric vehicles in 2024—down from two-thirds that said this time last year that they would opt in to sell EVs for 2023. The other half of Ford dealers will sell—and service—ICE and hybrid models.
“EV adoption rates vary across the country, and we believe our dealers know their market best,” Ford spokesman Martin Günsberg told the Detroit Free Press.
The slack buy-in from Ford dealerships comes even after Ford relaxed its requirements for dealers in the EV dealer program last January that mandated fewer L2 chargers and extended installation deadlines. Certified Ford EV dealers were once required to spend $500,000 for a single public DC fast charger, or $1 million if they wanted to be in the Elite tier of EV dealers.
The extra $500,000 was for another fast charger and demo units, among other things. But the high price tag caused Ford dealers to balk.
Buick saw a similar engagement among its dealers last year, according to Electrek, with half of Buick dealers choosing buyouts of their franchises instead of selling EVs. As a result, GM now has 47% fewer Buick dealers as of the end of this year compared to January. The hardline taken by GM with regard to its Buick dealers is in line with Buick’s ambitious plan to be all-electric by 2030.
Ford said earlier this month that it was reducing the planned number of F-150 Lightning EV trucks by half starting next year, kicking out 1,600 F-150 per week beginning in January, down from 3,200 per week, saying that it would match production with customer demand.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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