Do (or should) Toyota dealers provide courtesy charging for Toyota Primes and Plug-ins?

That's an option as well obviously on the line of carpooling I guess; but it still kind of defeats the whole purpose of driving an electric vehicle imho to still need an ICE vehicle to transport me places. I only need to charge while at work during heating season. I can make it to and from work on a single charge if I use the A/C modestly during the summer; which was realistically doable, even during the prolonged heatwaves we've had this summer. (It's the heating season that will put a dent in my ability to be solely on electric daily back and forth to work! Unfortunately, running the heater and fan during the cooler seasons sometimes doesn't even get me to work, let alone back daily on a full electric battery charge.

But I've driven over 2100 electric miles and I'm still on my original tank of gas from the dealer! 64 miles remain- and that's since mid January 2018- and hence why I'm so distracted with not having any place to charge when our state's PR is saying one thing, and yet they don't even have charging stations at their government buildings and hence it seems a bit hypocritical to not have them installed for agency use (and therefore not available for employees or the public to use (paid or not.))

 

Here's a tip on increasing range when it's cold: buy a heated 12V blanket and avoid using the heater. You may have to vent the windows so it doesn't fog up.

It's great that you're avoiding using gasoline. You have about 2 to 2 & 1/2 gallons left. The low fuel light comes on at about 1.7 gallons remaining.

 

That's what heated seats are for.

 

That's what compact 120v heaters are for. You can plug them in to a timer and have the interior pre-heated before you get in. You get the benefit of directly using cheap grid power and you bypass the battery altogether for less wear & tear and nothing lost to charging inefficiency.

Note: I would suggest that in addition to a block heater. That way your engine becomes a thermal battery with almost no need to burn gas to heat it up, and with a small heater added to the cabin you need even less fuel to get personal heat.

 

There's no need. That feature is already built into Prius Prime.

Pre-Condition for warming the cabin is an option available on the charging timer. With the Advanced model, you can also fire up the electric-heater using the phone-app.

 

Now you're talkin Jack! ABSOLUTELY what MUST be done by any dealer. How can anyone buy anything not knowing how it works. This technology is brand new to many people, and they need to see how it performs. Folks, it's just plain common sense! Accolades to you sir for your statement!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

Hey that's nifty! I still wish they'd had the foresight to integrate a block heater (or even just a connector for one) in conjunction with this.

 

Ah my good fellow, I never said that incentives are a waste on consumers. I merely stated that incentives to sales staff should encourage better performance from these people. Sales staff need to be thoroughly vested in electric car sales; having been in vehicle sales for over 23 years, I understand what drives salespeople: it's called money!! The Toyota Factory "Pull" program worked very well at our dealership.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

You've got me going mathwise on this...

InsideEV shows Toyota on track to sell ~28k primes in the USA in 2018. Toyota has ~1200 dealers in the USA. So that's roughly 23 cars per dealer. Obviously it would never be that regular, but bear with me.

The discount on the demo car must be recouped by extra profit on the 23 they do sell. So what should that work out to?

$1000 off would "load" an extra $43 onto each of the 23 they sell- not too bad, right? If they demo the car twice for each completed sale, is that reasonable? Say 10 miles x 46 demos for 460 miles on the odometer for $1000 off? Would that sort of wear and discount appeal to you guys?

I was just trying to model it out for my own curiosity's sake.

 

I agree with this completely.
One of the biggest challenges GM has selling their Volt or Bolt is their salespeople. Many don't want to sell EVs, because they see them as difficult to explain and/or takes too long to explain.
Part of it is also personal knowledge, or lack thereof, about EVs. Why invest the time in education when the sale takes twice as long to make.

Incentives for the sales reps can help a lot with that.

 

The "demo vehicle" is part of the cost of doing business for a dealership. We always had demos at all the dealerships I worked at, we even demoed motorhomes. Where I worked, you were not allowed to bring a deal to the manager unless you had gone on a demonstration ride first. It's just common sense, and good business.
Of course in today's market place, it has become more about "does the thing have a USB connection, multi-dimensional transducer, co-axial conflagrator, and leather seats", instead of "how does it drive?"
You still have to demonstrate to the client why it's worth the tons of money they have to pay!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
AChoiredTaste.com

 

That is no longer true.

If the plug-in was a SUV, they'd be all over it.

 

Depends upon the manufacturer incentives. For the sales reps that don't like selling EVs, it doesn't matter if it is an SUV, sedan, hatchback, motorcycle or race car.
If you give them a monetary incentive, it will get more of them on board.

There are still lots of people that have to INSIST on seeing and test driving a plugin vehicle. Sales reps will try to talk some people out of it.
Now, Toyota dealers are better than many, but we don't have even them completely on board.

 

or, it could be a sales persons car, or they can apply the discount to marketing and promotion. there are many ways to skin a cat.

when i was into boating in another lifetime, the biggest issue i had was that there was no way to demo a boat. you're really buying blind.

i have heard of lexus dealers who toss you the keys and tell you to bring it back when you're ready.

 

Why would any company incentivize salespeople for selling a vehicle that has much worse margins than many, if not most, other vehicles?

 

Depends.
Why should any dealer sell any hybrids? After all, they typically are a much lower margin than the giant SUVs?
Manufacturers, in general, want a wide variety of options. Having a ‘foot in the water’ allows manufacturers to respond to changes in the market (be it the US, Japanese, Chinese, European or others).
It is also defensive, so as to not loose market share to a different manufacturer, such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes have been suffering.
And then you have regulations. If it benefits the manufacturer to have some electric sales, incentivizing sales reps may produce the needed sales.

 

Sounds like someone is spreading FUD based on outdated rhetoric. It isn't as complex of a sales process as you portray.

Go to a Toyota dealer and watch the delivery bay. Notice how many RAV4 are hybrid models are driven out by new owners? Those frequent sales don't require anything special. The addition of a plug is a natural next step. Potential customers already instinctively understand the benefit of electricity from the wall. They already know it will green boost the driving experience. This is why Toyota emphasized hybrids not needing a plug in the past. They were setting the stage for this next step by making the difference stand out.

A simple test-drive is all it takes to sell that feature. You feel the electric power. They tell you recharging only takes a standard household outlet. You ask how much.

That claim of "because they see them as difficult to explain and/or takes too long to explain" doesn't even come into play.

 

And then removal of the ICE is the next step....oh ya...nevermind....not with Toyota

 

Don’t tell that to me, tell it to car sales reps. They are the ones reporting this.
You need to understand, when it comes to hybrids, Toyota is king and their sales reps are the best.
When it comes to anything with a plug, the quality varies widely. Some dealers put the EVs in the back and throw a tarp over them. Some dealers actually sue to not have to carry them. One actually tried to pass a law about it, as he was in Congress.
Other dealers are outstanding, such as the one the group you are a part of (MNPEVOC), single out and try to guide people towards. EVsalespro
We don’t do that because we like certain dealers and sales reps, we do that to help car shoppers find the good sales reps, and avoid the land mines.

 

And you are perpetuating that attitude of the past.

Knowing the sale is as simple as a test drive and household outlet, why set an expectation of complex ?