Used EVs are electric cars that people have owned before and are now selling. More of these cars are becoming available, so dealers and buyers need to know how to handle them.
A franchise dealer is a car dealer that officially sells new cars from one brand, like Ford or Toyota, and also sells used cars and does repairs for that brand.
This is a prediction of how many cars that people rented (leased) will be given back to the dealer soon. Dealers use this to get ready to sell these cars again.
Charging at home means plugging your electric car into an outlet or charger in your house to fill up its battery, similar to how you fill a gas car with fuel.
ADAS features are smart car systems that help the driver stay safe and make driving easier, like helping keep the car in its lane or slowing down automatically.
EV trade-ins are electric cars that people give to a dealer when they want to buy a different car. The dealer can then sell these electric cars to other buyers.
Level two charging means plugging your electric car into a special outlet that fills up the battery faster than a regular plug you have at home. It helps you charge your car quicker.
Level one charging means plugging your electric car into a normal wall outlet, like the ones in your house. It charges the car slowly, so it’s good if you don’t drive far each day.
DC fast charging is a way to charge electric cars really quickly, much faster than plugging into a normal outlet. It fills up the battery in a short time.
Tesla Superchargers are special charging stations made by Tesla that charge Tesla cars very fast. You usually need a Tesla car or an adapter to use them.
The Dodge Charger is a big, fast car that people like because it looks cool and drives strong. The 2026 version has special parts that help it stay steady on snowy roads.
Some cars with all-wheel drive can turn off the power to the front wheels when they don't need it. This helps the car feel more like a regular rear-wheel drive car and saves fuel, but still helps in slippery conditions.
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Hey, it's Daily Drive executive producer Jake Nier in Detroit. Thanks for joining me for this
bonus episode of the show. Earlier this week, I spoke with Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug, about the
used EV market and what dealers need to know as more than a million least EVs are set to come
back over the next three years. We brought you the first part of that conversation on Wednesday's
episode. If you missed it, go back and check it out. In this second and final part of our
conversation, Jimmy explains what dealers should be doing right now to prepare for
that wave of inventory, why having at least 10 used EVs on the lot makes a huge difference in
how fast they sell, and why dealers need to be either all in or all out on used EVs,
not halfway in between. Here's the rest of my conversation with Plug's CEO, Jimmy Douglas.
Let's say we're sitting here six months from now and we're talking again.
What do you expect this all to look like and how it's going to play out? What should
dealers be thinking about as they stock their lots and try to figure out what the strategy
should be going forward? Well, if I'm a dealer, especially a franchise dealer, and I'm looking
at a lease return forecast for the year, and I see this impending wave of 1.1 million vehicles
coming back over the next three years, I need to be ready. Being ready means developing a new
set of muscles to confidently and quickly retail sell high volumes of used EVs. In order to do
that properly, your team needs to be very confident and drawing from firsthand experience
because it's an educational purchase. When it comes to things like charging at home or on the road,
sizing up the correct amount of range that you actually need, there are so many little things
that people don't have to think about when they're buying a gas-powered car and a confident sales
person will make all of the difference in the world. For some use cases, an EV is probably
still not the right tool for the job, not for every customer, but for many, it might be the best
tool for the job objectively. Being ready with a team that fully embraces those assets as they're
hitting the lots will create a bit of magnetism for those around them who are proactively seeking
them out. We see in our data that dealers that have at least 10 or more used EVs in stock at
any given point in time sell those vehicles on an average of about 28 days compared to about
50% slower for dealers that have fewer than that. That's interesting. What is the reason for that?
Quite simply, the team is proactively seeking out used EV inventory. You generally don't have
that many on your lot on accident. And if you're doing that, that means you're likely sourcing
the vehicles with attention to nuance and having a diversified product mix, a different set of
potentially brands, drive unit configurations, battery pack sizes, ADAS features, and then
the team being conditioned on how to properly sell them because they consistently have them in
stock. It's not just one off that's sitting there because they received a vehicle as a
trade-in and they decided not to wholesale it if it wasn't within their comfort zone.
So really putting an emphasis on having an EV center of excellence will enable your team
to be more confident in selling them, but that also means customers who are looking for them
are more likely to find you. So the dealers that get the most out of the market conditions this
year will be the ones that are really focusing on EVs. That's my view. And it's also my view that
dealers should not be half stepping into it. If a dealer is ready to commit to this business line
and embrace the lease returns and be more aggressive when putting numbers on EV trade-ins,
then they should go all in on it and make sure that every single person at the store is fully
prepared for those educational conversations. If a dealer is not there yet, what we also see in our
data is that being halfway in is a recipe for a disaster. They should just be all in or all out.
And for those who want to be all out, there are plenty of great options on the table,
including our own EV trade desk, which will give them a cash offer on the spot at the point of
appraisal with an immediate liquidation option if they decide that they're not ready to carry
that vehicle as a retail unit. All right, Jimmy, take us out here. What else do we need to know
about this subject before we end off here? I would say anybody that is curious about the used EV
market should just spend some time behind the wheel. And I don't mean just an overnight test drive.
You really get a feel for what it's like to live that experience when it's your daily driver for
a good couple of weeks. You can experience charging at home if you don't have level two installed,
then plug it into your 110 and experience level one. It's really slow, but for some people,
like it's the job done, if your commute is short enough, use a destination charger, DC fast charging,
ideally a Tesla supercharger if the vehicle is properly equipped. And if not, become familiar
with the adapters that are available. It's a totally different experience. And once you've
made it through those first few weeks, it becomes a lot more second nature. And that makes you a
lot better equipped to properly evaluate, appraise, acquire and sell them.
Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug. Thank you so much for joining us today. Really appreciate you.
Appreciate you, Jake. Thank you. Coming up, our own Rudy Shork takes the new Dodge Charger lineup
out in the snow. That's next on this bonus episode of Daily Drive.
The EV transition has been slower than many people expected. And the financial strain
isn't just hitting automakers. On this week's episode of the Automotive News Shift podcast,
I'm joined by Mohamed Faturi, Director of the Engineering and Power Solutions Division at
Bosch. He explains how tier one suppliers are dealing with the pressure of a software EV ramp,
shifting customer demand and policy uncertainty, and how they're adapting in real time.
From day one, you think about options and flexibility. If you are planning based on
a flexibility or optionality, then you have the leverage in the future, if need be, to pivot very
quickly. I'm Mollye Boygon. Join me on Shift, available this Sunday, wherever you get your podcasts.
When you think about driving in the snow, a Dodge Charger probably isn't the first car that comes
to mind. But Dodge invited us out to Stowe, Vermont to do exactly that, putting the new
Charger lineup through its paces in real winter conditions. Now, last year I drove the two door
550 horsepower Charger Scat Pack during a test drive event in Tennessee. But on this trip,
I was able to drive both the new four door Charger RT and the four door Scat Pack,
going back and forth between the two throughout the day. For those not familiar,
the Charger RT is powered by Dodge's three liter twin turbo hurricane inline six,
producing 420 horsepower and 468 pound feet of torque. Dodge says that gives it the most
standard horsepower of any muscle car, with a targeted zero to 60 time of about five seconds,
and a top speed around 168 miles per hour. Above that sits the Scat Pack, which bumps power to
550 horsepower using the high output version of the same engine. But one of the biggest changes
with this new generation of Charger isn't just the engine, it's the addition of standard all-wheel
drive. As you may already know, previous Chargers were rear wheel drive, which made them great for
performance but not ideal for winter climates. The system can send power to all four wheels when
you need traction, but it can also shift power back to the rear wheels so the car still behaves
like a traditional Dodge muscle car when you want it to. That combination is part of what Dodge says
could help expand the Chargers appeal to drivers in northern states. In Canada, where snow is a
regular part of life. Honestly, the difference between the RT and the Scat Pack isn't as dramatic
as you might expect in some areas. For example, when it comes to the interior, I really didn't
notice a massive difference going between the trims. Yeah, the higher end Scat Pack versions
do come with upgraded materials and some additional features, but if you're a prospective buyer looking
at the base RT, it doesn't feel like a stripped down version of that car. It still feels like you're
the same overall design, the same technology, and the same general experience inside the cabin.
So if someone went with the lower trim to save money, I don't think they'd walk away feeling
like they were missing out. Now obviously, there's a difference when it comes to performance.
There's more than 100 horsepower separating the two models, 130 to be exact, and that's noticeable.
But the RT still feels very quick. In fact, during the drive, I was allegedly racing another journalist
while we were out in the highway. We'd get lined up, floor the pedal, and really see what the cars
could do. And what I've noticed was straight off the line, the acceleration still feels pretty
similar. But once you start getting into the higher speeds, the 550 horsepower Scat Pack
eventually pulls ahead, which is exactly what you'd expect. And speaking of those higher speeds,
one thing I mentioned in my previous charger review still applies here. These cars are wide
and they're heavy. But interestingly, that actually works in their favor when it comes to
stability. At speed, the car feels planted and confident. A lot of that comes down to things
like the wide body stance, performance suspension setup, and the standard all wheel drive system,
which all work together to keep the car stable, even when you're pushing it a bit.
It's a big car, but it doesn't feel out of control. But of course, the real point of this trip was
seeing how the new charger handles winter driving. We spent a lot of time on snowy roads and winter
driving courses, testing how the all wheel drive system handles traction and slippery conditions.
Now for how these cars actually handled in the snow, honestly, they were excellent.
I mean, Dodge wouldn't bother flying a bunch of journalists out to Vermont right after a heavy
snowfall with ice all over the roads if these cars were terrible to drive in the winter.
We did drifting, donuts, rally style driving through snow packed courses,
solemn runs, pretty much everything you'd want to do in a performance car in the snow.
Every trim handled it really well. The all wheel drive system gives you a lot of confidence,
especially when you're sliding around intentionally. The car still feels playful like
a muscle car, but it never feels like you're about to completely lose it. And honestly,
I think this winter capability is going to make a lot of Dodge Charger fans happy. It also probably
means even more people will be driving like maniacs on the lodge freeway in Detroit after a fresh
snowfall. I'd ask you not to do that, but I know that wouldn't stop any of you. So just be safe,
I guess my drive to the office is already crazy enough with the other drivers on the road.
Now I want to address the elephant in the room. Yes, I know that a lot of you out there want
the V8. And honestly, I get it. If you're spending this kind of money on a muscle car,
it's totally reasonable to want the classic V8 sound and feel. As a reminder, these chargers
use Dodge's twin turbo three liter hurricane inline six engine. So the performance numbers are
definitely there. But muscle cars have been tied to big V8 engines for decades. And that's going
to take some time for people to get used to. Personally, after driving them, I think the new
engines deliver plenty of performance. But I also completely understand why longtime Charger fans
are still hoping to see a V8 return someday. Now in terms of pricing, the new Charger lineup
actually lands in a pretty interesting spot. The Charger RT starts at a little over $50,000
while the Scat Pack version pushes closer to the $60,000 range, depending on options. So the jump
between the trims isn't massive, which means a lot of buyers will probably be deciding whether the
extra horsepower is worth stepping up to the Scat Pack. Performance wise, the numbers are still
very strong. The RT makes 420 horsepower and can get from zero to 60 in roughly five seconds,
which is still quick for a full size muscle car. The Scat Pack jumps to 550 horsepower and that's
where things start getting seriously fast. But one of the more interesting pieces of tech in these
cars is the all wheel drive system. Even though the Charger now comes standard with all wheel drive,
it can actually disconnect from the front axle when it doesn't need it, which lets the car behave
more like a traditional rear wheel drive muscle car when you're driving normally or pushing it a
bit. So you get the traction benefits when you need them, like in the snow, but you still get
that classic muscle car feel the rest of the time. So after spending time with both versions of the
new Charger, the RT and the Scat Pack, I think Dodge is trying to do something pretty interesting
here. They're keeping the performance and attitude people expect from a muscle car,
but they're trying to make it something you can drive year round, even in places that get
real winters. And after driving these things around in the snow in Vermont, I can confidently say
that these can handle it. Now whether fans will fully embrace a Charger without a V8 is still a
big question, but one thing is clear, Dodge didn't build a boring replacement. They built a muscle
car that's trying to survive the next era. Thanks for listening to this bonus episode of
Daily Drive. Come back on Monday for a brand new full episode of the show.
About this episode
Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug, shares insights on the upcoming surge of used EV lease returns and advises dealers to either fully commit to selling used EVs or avoid them altogether, emphasizing the need for knowledgeable sales teams and diverse EV inventories. The episode also features a detailed review of the 2026 Dodge Charger RT and Scat Pack models, highlighting their new all-wheel-drive system and impressive winter performance in snowy Vermont conditions. The discussion touches on the transition from V8 engines to turbocharged inline-sixes, balancing muscle car heritage with modern drivability and year-round usability.
Daily Drive Executive Producer Jake Neher concludes his conversation with Plug CEO Jimmy Douglas about what dealers should expect from the used electric vehicle market in 2026 as 1.1 million leased EVs come back over the next three years. Plus, Automotive News’ Rudy Schork shares his experience testing the 2026 Dodge Charger lineup in real winter conditions in Stowe, Vermont — including how the all-wheel-drive muscle car handles snow and ice.
