Prospective new car buyers will have some electrifying new choices soon, to combat the rising costs of gas; two local car dealerships in the Beyak Automotive Group are entering the electric car market. Sunset Country Ford hopes to have cars any day now, while Fort Frances GM is in the early stages of adding electric vehicles (EVs) to their inventory.
John Sivonen is the sales manager at Sunset Country Ford. He says it’s taken some time to get into the market but the first Ford Mustang Mach-Es should be on the lot soon.
“It’s a dealership’s choice whether or not they want to be an EV dealer,” Sivonen said. “So we had to sign up with Ford to become an EV dealer. What that involves is some extensive training on the service side, as well as some sales training.”
Right now the only EV that Ford is selling through its dealers is the Mustang Mach-E.
“Right now, the reviews, if you research them, they’re kind of right up there with the Teslas,” Sivonen said. “That’s kind of the competition. There’s lots of manufacturers making EVs but Tesla is known for that market and the Mach-E is right up there in reviews.”
There are some people that are skeptical about the usefulness of electric vehicles in northwestern Ontario given the cold climate and isolation. The potential for long distances between charging stations is also a concern.
The Mustang Mach-E is rated for 430 km. Though, Sivonen says, that is most likely under ideal conditions rather than the extreme weather often present in the region during the winter months.
At Fort Frances GM it will be late 2023 before EVs are available. General Manager Chris Hayes says despite the timeline, preparation has already begun.
“Although we’re roughly 18 months away from seeing our first EVs on the ground at Fort Frances GM, infrastructure planning is underway, and we are committed to providing our EV customers with a complete level of service that people have come to expect from us.”
The first EVs are expected to be the GMC Hummer EV available in both a truck and SUV body. GMC has also announced the GMC Sierra Denali, as well as the Chevy Silverado, Equinox and Blazer, but production timelines are not as certain for these models.
Sunset Country Ford is expecting three Mustang Mach-Es any time now. The cars are built in Mexico and supply chain issues have hampered the delivery dates. Sivonen says that one of the three is more or less spoken for by a customer and one will be used as a demo car, by staff at the dealership to get a feel for it as well as test it in the local environment.
Ford is also selling the F-150 Lightning pick-up truck. The truck is not available from dealerships but through a reservation process with Ford. Sivonen says there is one local customer who made a reservation and may have their Lightning by this summer.
Sivonen said he has seen more interest in EVs recently as fuel prices have climbed; operating costs of an electric vehicle are less than that of a fuel-based vehicle.
Charging times will vary based on the voltage of the power going into the vehicle. Using a typical 110 volt wall socket might take a car several hours to charge, which is fine for daily driving. Like your mobile phone you plug your car in when you’re finished with it for the day. There are larger chargers that will charge EVs faster. Some EV owners will have a 240 volt outlet installed in their garage, similar to what an electric stove or clothes dryer uses. It provides a faster charge, while some high-powered public chargers can charge a vehicle in less than an hour.
Ongoing supply chain issues have slowed the movement of car orders. Although times vary, customers can expect an order to be delivered in three to six months, Sivonen says.
“We have had vehicles show up in two months, but we have had that vehicle show up in seven or eight months as well, Sivonen said. “But the average I would say is three to six months.”
Back at Fort Frances GM Hayes says at this point neither Fort Frances GM or Sunset Country Ford are looking to replace their current traditional vehicle lineups.
“I think it’s very important to stress that both Ford and General Motors are entering the EV market to complement the existing internal combustion engine lineups – not to replace them,” Hayes said. “Both Sunset Country Ford and Fort Frances GM will continue to sell and service gas and diesel powered vehicles for years to come. I encourage everyone to reach out to the sales teams at both dealerships for more information on all of these exciting new models headed our way.”
