Truck dealers must go ‘all in’ to bolster EV market
EV truck market expected to soar past $18B by 2034
From hiring and training staff to arranging financing for customers, EV truck makers are counting on fully invested dealer networks to succeed.
The global EV truck market is projected to grow 31.3% annually to $18.6 billion in 2034 from $1.6 billion in 2025, according to a January report by Precedence Research.
Yet, EV truck adoption remains limited in the United States due to insufficient charging infrastructure and significantly higher upfront costs. Adding to these challenges, President Donald Trump has attempted to pause or eliminate EV incentives and mandates initiated by the previous administration.
Going ‘all in’
Commercial truck dealers that sell or plan to sell EVs must go “all in” to help overcome these obstacles and drive up adoption rates, Lisa McGhee, zero-emission vehicles programs and affairs manager at Santa Fe, Calif.-based dealership Tom’s Truck Center, told Equipment Finance News. Educating salespeople on the complexities and nuances of EVs is one example of this, she said.
“If your salespeople don’t understand it, then they can’t sell it. And if they’re not confident, they’re also not going to sell it.”
— Lisa McGhee, Tom’s Truck Center
“You have to be able to carry the conversation — converting kilowatts and kilowatt hours into an operational cost per mile, understanding the efficiency, understanding the technology in terms of its behavior to make that truck increase its range,” she said.
When trying to sell an EV to a potential buyer, dealers should evaluate the size of their fleet, the number of miles traveled daily, charging accessibility and incentives that they could qualify for, McGhee said. Helping fleet owners gradually transition to EVs is also crucial to increased adoption and repeat sales, she said.
“It’s about looking at it in a short-term path, one truck at a time,” she said. “And then you don’t need a bunch of infrastructure, even though we still have to get there. … So, what I’m bringing to the table is solutions, which are complex, not easily understandable. But it’s a free service that I’m providing to help sell.”
Dealer selection
Many truck dealers are reluctant to carry EVs due to limited range and added expenses. Dealers may spend “tens of thousands of dollars” a year on human resources alone to sell and service EVs or other high-tech trucks, Nick Carter, a consultant for industry trade group American Truck Dealers, said at the recent Work Truck Week event in Indianapolis.
Thus, EV makers must carefully choose a dealer network willing to invest in the necessary resources to support them, Jim Connelly, chief revenue officer at Oak Park, Mich.-based Bollinger Motors, told EFN.
“If you look at [dealers], some are EV-friendly and have departments or even whole buildings dedicated to EV sales and EV service,” he said.
“Forward-thinking dealers are always going to be the early adopters. You need to look for those, and the rest of them will come on board after other dealers and other entities paved the way for them.”
— Jim Connelly, chief revenue officer, Bollinger Motors
As EV technology evolves, periodic training of salespeople and technicians is key to keeping their knowledge “fresh,” Jim Castelaz, founder and chief technology officer at Foster City, Calif.-based Motiv Electric Trucks, told EFN.
“Even dealers with robust service technician programs, that training can go stale,” he said. “And I think that’s kind of a challenge as we’re rolling out these vehicles. … I think once electric is more at scale, they’ll keep those skills fresh. But until we get to that critical mass, I think it’s kind of a necessary investment.”
The third annual Equipment Finance Connect at the JW Marriott Nashville on May 14-15, 2025, is the only event for both equipment dealers and finance providers. Learn more and register here.
