From the launch six years ago, EV Auto CEO and co-founder Alex Lawrence held the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s largest seller of used EVs.
Taking another step toward that goal, he announced on Daily Dealer Live on Monday that his dealership is the first non-franchise dealer to join Amazon Autos.
Driving the news: Lawrence told Daily Dealer Live host Sam D’Arc that EV Auto went live over the weekend.
He said preparation took six to nine weeks.
But now, consumers can search his inventory and complete the purchase online.
“We’ll get a notification. We’ll call you and will arrange delivery or shipment all on the Amazon experience,” Lawrence said.
Early adopter: From the announcement of Amazon Autos and its first OEMs, Lawrence knew he wanted EV Auto on the platform for a few main reasons.
One of them is that Amazon provides a familiar, customer-friendly e-commerce experience.
And another is that the finance partners available to customers are Wells Fargo, Chase, Ally, Santander, and Hyundai Motor Finance, many of which EV Auto previously worked with.
“I want to be wherever my customers are, and Amazon believes that we’ll provide the same experience they do,” Lawrence said.
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Working through initial challenges: According to Amazon, dealers pay no subscription fees for a limited time.
There may be a fixed, monthly subscription fee to display inventory, with fees phasing in as the marketplace scales.
On the backend, for one, Lawrence hopes to work with Amazon to sell chargers in the future.
And though he ships vehicles nationwide, Amazon currently has a mileage limit on searching inventory, which Lawrence explains is to protect the franchise dealers on the platform.
Expansion plans: In addition to the Amazon news, EV Auto is adding a pair of locations in Las Vegas and one in Dallas to its existing stores in Utah and Tennessee.
He hopes to open three to four stores per year, to have a store in every state within a decade.
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