I've Solved The 72-Hour EV Test Drive Conundrum, And Every Automaker Is Free To Steal My Idea (Except Tesla)

Because Republicans have fought so hard to spread pro-oil propaganda about electric vehicles, the general public largely has no idea whether an EV would work for them or not. Batteries easily last well over a decade and are recyclable, fast chargers are actually pretty common, and lifecycle emissions are way lower for EVs even if you account for mining, but somehow, objectively true statements are controversial now. New EV sales in the U.S. are also struggling, and automakers are struggling to find buyers. The good news is, I have an actual, viable solution that automakers are free steal borrow.

OK, so we've seen that spending time living with an EV, even temporarily, goes a long way to debunking pro-oil propaganda and can change people's minds about whether or not an EV is right for them. Personally, I think the easiest way to make that happen is for owners who want to see EVs get more popular to lend their cars to as many people as they can, for at least 3 days at a time. Ideally, automakers would offer 120-hour test drives to anyone who wants one, but that would be wildly expensive, so I understand why it's hard to even get a 72-hour loan. 

Automakers can't sit back here, though. And I'm not just saying that because EVs are the future (they really are), or because I want my nieces and nephews to grow up breathing clean air (I really do). No, it's because they're already shipping EVs to the U.S., and selling more of them would help both sales and profits, while keeping excess inventory from piling up on dealer lots. So here's the idea I'm offering every automaker, free and clear: introduce incentives that encourage dealers to use EVs as service loaners. 

When an auto journalist gives business advice, usually, the best thing any automaker can do is the opposite. And that goes double when that advice is on Jalopnik, a site that still loves a good s—post. I'm also well aware I'm not a serious journalist. But tell me the service loaner isn't the most cost-effective way to get customers into an EV long enough for them to realize how great it is to have a gas station in your garage.

I know we all love conquest sales, but current owners are your most likely future customers. The real key to a future EV sale, though, is the low-pressure, no-commitment, just-try-it-for-fun nature of the service loaner. Even people who actively hate EVs would probably be willing to play with one for three or four days while their car's in the shop if the loaner was free. Customers are less likely to think it's some sort of sales trick, too, if the offer comes from a service manager instead of a salesperson.

Considering we're talking about people who already own a car, I don't know if we'd see large numbers of owners picking up their cars, handing over the keys to the loaner EV, and demanding to trade their car in. But as long as you make a good car, there are no downsides to making a positive impression on your customers. And I bet that program would end up being the most cost-effective sales tool in any automaker's arsenal. Not because they're forcing people to go electric but because EVs do such a great job of selling themselves when they fit a prospective owner's lifestyle. 

Not everyone can justify an EV. It's pricier and less convenient if you can't charge at home, and some people do crazy amounts of driving or frequent towing. But if you work for an automaker, you know your EVs make better daily drivers for regular homeowners than your most popular daily drivers, and you know they'd sell better if you could get more butts in seats. Now you have a way to get your most likely customers' butts in those seats for far less than the cost of launching a 120-hour test drive program. 

Even better, the anti-EV crowd should be all over this one. If EVs are still as bad as they're convinced they are, then a few days driving an EV should be all anyone needs to disabuse them of the notion that they should go electric. Give the skeptics at your company the opportunity to rack up a win and prove this whole EV thing is a waste of everyone's time and money. I mean, they aren't afraid people will like EVs better if they just spend some time with one, are they? Let's put our money where our mouth is and find out.