Facing the Tough Questions About Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles have not fared well in the media coverage of the past year.

Pull them all together, and it paints a picture of EVs needing a temporary pause at best, or becoming a money losing fool’s errand at worst. Of course, fleets and commercial vehicles operate in a different category than retail-level consumers, as do the consignors and auctions moving the used electric vehicles.

At the upcoming Conference of Automotive Remarketing, the following four experts will take the audience on an EV ride down the “real street” of EV growing pains, setbacks, and long-term potential:

• Johan Verbois, founder and CEO, MA5 Used Vehicle Consulting Group
• Scott Case, co-founder and CEO, Recurrent 
• Kathryn Schifferle, chief vision officer, Work Truck Solutions
• Jimmy Douglas, founder and CEO, Plug

The session, “Electric Vehicles Hit the Real Street,” will be held Thursday, March 28 at 9:30 am. Among the questions and topics that the panelists will tackle:

• What does the Hertz pullback on EVs mean for the long-term prospects of fleet and vehicle remarketing electrification?
• How will OEMs and EV manufacturers be able to attain profitability on electric vehicles given the high-profile losses of the past quarters?
• What are the takeaway lessons of this winter’s “EV freeze over” in Chicago that left many EVs inoperable?
• What developments will diminish the consumer resistance or slowdown in EV purchases?
• How will the power grid be able to supply enough future electric charging for the aggressive electrification targets set for 2030 and beyond?
• How should fleets handle the intimidating costs, timelines, and logistics of setting up charging infrastructure? How do you keep it on track?

The Conference of Automotive Remarketing will be held March 26-28 at the Hilton Phoenix at the Peak in Phoenix, Arizona. Early registration discounts end Wednesday, March 6.