Installing electric vehicle chargers at dealerships is proving to be complicated and costly.
There are problems with utilities and city planning departments. There are different types and numbers of chargers to install. Dealers are finding there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
"The more we dig into this whole shift, it's becoming more and more apparent that it's not cheap. And it's complicated. And it's time-consuming," said Rinaldi Halim, president of Sierra Automotive Group, which has six stores selling Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Subaru, Honda and Chevrolet vehicles in Los Angeles and Monrovia, Calif.
While dealers have extensive experience with facility upgrades, the technical nature of installing chargers at commercial scale is often beyond their expertise. Depending on the age of the building, the proximity and capacity of their current transformer and other factors, dealers must develop custom solutions to meet their brands' requirements.