Transcript:
The vast majority of new cars in the U.S. are sold through dealerships.
And in many states, laws to protect dealerships prohibit car companies from selling their vehicles without that middleman.
Budds: “Some of them outright ban or prohibit direct sales of vehicles to consumers. Others offer limited access.”
Hannah Budds is with the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, a group that’s advocating for more electric vehicles in the state.
In North Carolina, direct-to-consumer sales – for example, at a retail showroom or online – are mostly prohibited. Only Tesla has qualified for an exception.
Budds says these restrictions limit the growth of EVs in the state because they reduce consumer choice. In fact, some EV brands are simply unavailable in North Carolina.
Budds: “So in order to kind of enable access to EVs for all consumers, they really do need more options and price points to choose from.”
So her group is pushing for policies that allow more direct-to-consumer EV sales.
Budds says it’s a common-sense solution that will benefit consumers and accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
