Phil Long EV Outlet sold 117 electric and hybrid vehicles from May 2021 through year’s end and 56 such vehicles during the first three months of 2022. It’s just a small fraction of the company’s total sales. Phil Long Dealerships of Colorado Springs ranks No. 95 on Automotive News‘ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., with retail sales of 10,801 new vehicles in 2021. The group sold 12,070 used vehicles last year.
Buckles said Phil Long EV Outlet is not only a one-stop shop for customers looking for EVs; it also has become a spot where EV drivers can recharge their vehicles for 20 cents a kilowatt-hour. The lot has 10 EV chargers, including four fast chargers.
Inside the store, those customers — some who find the chargers via navigation systems and hop off nearby I-25 — can grab a drink and relax, Buckles and Shaughnessy said.
“We built it different than a traditional used-car dealership,” Shaughnessy said. “It’s built more like a community lounge. It’s intended to be a place where customers can park their cars, charge them [and] hang out.”
The store last month held an Earth Day-focused event that Phil Long leaders planned to give community members test drives in EVs and more information about charging. The aim was that more information and exposure to EVs could ultimately drive shopper traffic to the store.
Buckles, who also oversees a nearby Kia dealership for the group, said Phil Long EV Outlet has three sales specialists and a sales manager. Service is available at the Kia dealership, he said.
Shaughnessy said he thinks the EV outlet is rare. “We might be the tip of the spear on this,” he said.
