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The hidden EV hurdle—why charging still stumps buyers and how dealers can fix it
Featuring Oliver Phillips, Chief Operating Officer of Qmerit
Welcome to another edition of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast Recap newsletter.
Recently, I spoke with Oliver Phillips, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Qmerit, about what’s really holding back EV adoption, why home charging remains misunderstood, and how the smartest dealers are getting ahead of the curve.
1. Believe in EVs.
The politics surrounding electric vehicles have clouded their relevance in the market.
“If you've ever sat and actually driven an EV, it's a really fun experience…We see this as a long-term trend. You look at other parts of the world that have EVs longer, they're growing (and) continuing to grow. We're seeing record sales now.”
The sector will experience some hiccups until everything straightens out, but they are here to stay.
2. It isn’t only about California.
Florida is currently the number two market in the U.S. for EVs.
“The reason is (for) a lot of those urban commuters, in EV is just a better drive. And there's very little subsidies involved at the state level…
Q1 2025 has been one of Qmerit’s highest activity quarters in the company’s history—as it closes in on half a million EV installations in people's homes.
3. Know your market play.
Qmerit’s business model is built on partnerships.
“A lot of…auto manufacturers…have their charger of choice, which in some cases is fulfilled by the dealership or the parks department. So, there's some margin there. And then with the home installation, what we're trying to do is give rebates back to the dealerships for referrals so that they can share in the economics of all this.”
Qmerit is centered on coordinating all aspects of charging installation much like an “Uber” of electrification, absorbing any risks for partners, which includes a couple of hundred dealerships.
4. Education charges the market.
Automakers have been heavily focused on educating consumers about electric vehicles—realizing how important it is to the wider adoption of EVs.
“There's a lot more awareness campaigns on…what an EV is, why it's not a political statement…, and then how easy it is to drive…We're really seeing a lot of auto manufacturers club up together to remove that charging anxiety.”
One of the best range/infrastructure initiatives–representative of the investments being made to address range anxiety–is Ionna, a fast-charging collaboration with BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota.
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3. Qmerit - Selling EVs can have a lot of friction points. But home charging installation shouldn’t be one of them. That’s why dealers and automakers trust Qmerit—the go-to expert for home charging installations. Join Qmerit’s dealership partner program and start earning referral incentives on every installation. Visit qmerit.com/carguy to learn more.
5. Tesla is Tesla.
Tesla’s current market issues aren’t indicative of the EV market overall—they’re about Elon Musk.
“What's going on with Tesla…, unfortunately, it's Tesla specific…I think the same phenomenon you're seeing there, would happen if they made, cans of water.”
Every company needs to have some sort of security in place to protect their product from these kinds of dynamics.
6. This isn’t a gas vs EV thing.
Lower gas prices will have little if any impact on the long-term viability of the EV market.
“I'm in Houston, Texas, right now—oil and gas capital of the world. And I charge my EV, which is equivalent to a couple (of) bucks, for an entire tank.”
Gas prices will have to go a lot lower before it would economically impact EV charging rates compared to the price of gasoline.”
7. Keep market penetration in perspective.
Electric vehicles will not reach peak market penetration in our lifetime, but that doesn’t negate the return on the investment now.
“It's never going to be 100 % in our lifetimes. The U.S. is too big to spread out for that necessarily to work. But you're seeing a lot more bidirectional.”
More consumers are buying into the home resiliency associated with owning an electric vehicle—as an alternative to a “$40,000 home generator”—which has helped to raise the appeal of EVs.
8. The dealer’s play is big.
One of the most pivotal—if not “the” pivotal—connection points for the wider adoption of electric vehicles is the dealership.
“The customer starts to realize the benefits of an EV and then they start coming back for a bi-directional EV and…it…becomes this whole home electrification ecosystem…And then, they (consumers) start to get paid for that.”
9. Let’s get beyond the misconceptions.
One of the biggest challenges in the home charging business is the misconceptions associated with the process and range anxiety, which is reflective of the EV market overall.
“Tackling that, I think, (is) the biggest hurdle. I think consumers have gotten over the concern about (the) reliability of the vehicle and service and maintenance.”
Pricing continues to be a factor as well, even though there are great deals on EVs in the current market.
10. Think ‘next.’
Dealership opportunities in electric vehicle charging will continue to grow and expand, yielding a number of benefits for stores.
“There's just a lot of…extra revenue streams that tie to the EV and also anchor that customer to whatever brand that you may have and keeps them coming back.”
The key to capitalizing on these opportunities starts with embracing the potential of electric vehicles.
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