[polerad]

A Houston Volvo dealer is tweeting out about the Polestar 2:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1307708885604724737

And others have suggested that their local Volvo shop is getting trained to service Polestars, but for whatever reason can't officially say so.

If Polestar could confirm that however many Volvo dealers have signed on as authorized service centers, that would greatly increase the value proposition of the Polestar 2, especially for outside of the LA, SF, and NYC metros. So it seems like something must be preventing them from doing so.

Anyone know what the deal is?

 

[ProfessorCook]

I suspect they're still working with lawyers to get around our absurd laws.

 

[I_Kent_Spelgud]

Seen this? Idiocy running rampant in Michigan:

Michigan's New House Bill 6233 Wants To Ban EV Automakers From Doing Business

Michigan politicians are trying to block new electric vehicle manufacturers from doing business in the state. Although carefully worded to include any type of auto manufacturing company, the Michigan "Motor Vehicle Franchise Act" was created specifically to block Tesla from doing business there

cleantechnica.com

 

[ProfessorCook]

Yeah... There are people out there who just hate electric vehicles. To them, EVs represent all sorts of left-wing, liberal extremist, socialist, tree-hugging, conspiracies against the good ol' boys.

At least the P2s will be a lot less recognizable than the Teslas.

 

[polerad]

Yeah... There are people out there who just hate electric vehicles. To them, EVs represent all sorts of left-wing, liberal extremist, socialist, tree-hugging, conspiracies against the good ol' boys.

At least the P2s will be a lot less recognizable than the Teslas.

That and special interests trying to maintain relevance in a digital world.
Having now bought and sold cars entirely online I see zero point to the traditional dealership sales model and actively hate traditional dealers based on the few experiences I've had with them.
The new system fits me and my 21st-century-digital-boy-ness. Michigan's dealers are trying to enforce through regulatory capture their old business model instead of adapting to the times - EVs are just caught in the mix because Tesla is the face of both EVs and online-only sales/distribution.

Hey at least this idiocy keeps some lobbyists employed?

 

[ProfessorCook]

It's like trying to protect the coal industry when the free market forces are against it.

I wonder what happened to those buggy whip manufacturers.

 

[JRRF]

This has less to do with coal vs. electricity than it has to do with money -- like everything else. The dealers are a wealthy lobbying group because they've been sucking money out of the car business for decades. They are not anxious to give that up. More dealerships are consolidating, but in general, the local dealer is one of the wealthiest guys in the community. This is a huge paradigm shift for the industry. It's akin to your local retail shop trying to stop Amazon from selling the same goods. But here the vertical integration gives the dealer some power whereas the local mom and pop retailer has no leverage at all.

 

[ProfessorCook]

Yeah... Those buggy-whip guys didn't have enough lobbyists in D.C.

I mentioned coal in light of changes to laws over the last few years to try to keep that industry afloat. Natural gas, solar, and wind have pretty much put them out of business even with relaxed EPA rules and such.