Stellantis is working with its 2,600-plus dealers to focus on the dealership transition to electric-vehicle sales and service, offering consulting and on-site evaluation of electric vehicle (EV) integration needs within every area of the dealership business. The company is partnering with Michigan-based Future Energy to build a program to help its dealers prepare for the disruption of electrification and to develop a thoughtful approach to help their dealer network modify their business processes, the company says.

To date, nearly 70% of dealers are in the process of assessing their individual readiness.

The comprehensive evaluations include:

• Identifying energy requirements, electrical infrastructure changes and necessary utility service upgrades
• Educating dealership staff on the short- and long-term operational impacts to their business purpose, people, place and processes resulting from EV integration and reviewing the technology solutions for EV charging and energy management
• Calculating charging needs to support different areas of their business and locate ideal installation areas for EV charging stations inside and outside the building to address business flow challenges
• Discovering all applicable financial incentive programs to assist with EV integration costs

Future Energy is also offering Stellantis dealerships EV integration services, including:

• Guidance through the financial assistance application process to obtain project funding support to offset EV integration costs.
• Coordination of all construction, logistics, networking and commissioning to install and activate EV charging stations across the necessary areas of their business
• Technology solutions and infrastructure to measure and manage the energy use across their entire business, in real-time, including monitoring and automation to make better decisions and reduce energy costs
• Staff training regarding operational business changes, sales strategies and EV hardware maintenance and usage Ongoing customer support, including maintenance and warranty programs for integrated infrastructure and hardware

Stellantis says it is setting the course for 100% of sales in Europe and 50% of sales in the United States to be battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) by the end of this decade. The company plans to have more than 75 BEVs globally and reach global annual BEV sales of 5 million vehicles by 2030. In the U.S., the company plans to offer more than 25 BEVs by 2030.