EV Insider by Recurrent

Gas prices passed $4.50 a gallon in Pennsylvania this spring but according to Andrew Wright, that's not what's actually moving EV shoppers like some people suspect.

In this episode of EV Insider, host Scott Case sits down with Andrew Wright, Managing Partner at Vinart Dealerships in the Lehigh Valley, to unpack what's really driving EV demand six months after the federal tax credit expired. 

The conversation digs into the real barrier to adoption — what Andrew calls "refueling parity" — why charging perception matters more than charging reality, and what's exciting about the EV market right now. 

Subscribe to EV Insider for more conversations with the leaders shaping the EV market: https://www.recurrentauto.com/about/ev-insider

Most people drive a lot less than they think — and that one insight could change how you shop for your next EV.

In this episode, Recurrent's Scott Case sits down with John Murphy of Holler Classic Group — one of Central Florida's largest dealer groups and one of the country's top Vinfast retailers — for a candid conversation about the realities of selling and owning electric vehicles in 2026.

What we cover:

The small-plane analogy that explains how badly buyers overestimate their daily driving

How real-world EV range routinely beats EPA estimates — and why dealers should say so louder

What happens when cheap 2022 EV leases start coming back to the lot

How Holler Classic built one of America's most successful Vinfast operations from scratch

The state-by-state mess of EV registration fees — and the surprising places that don't charge any

Links
→ Subscribe to EV Cents, our weekly newsletter for EV owners and shoppers: https://newsletter.recurrentauto.com/
→ Sell your EV with Recurrent and get offers from vetted buyers: https://www.recurrentauto.com/sell
→ Recurrent's research library: https://www.recurrentauto.com/research

"We'd  need a World War II strategy to pull this off."

Cliff Banks, founder of AUTOVATE and The Banks Report, has spent a decade bringing automotive investors, dealers, and tech firms together to understand the role of capital in retail transformation. Unlike many EV optimists, Cliff brings a decidedly measured view—one shaped by capital flows, manufacturing realities, and political headwinds. His forecast for 2030 EV adoption? 10-15%. Not 50%.

What we cover:

The manufacturing reality check: Where will the plants come from to hit 50% EV adoption? Ford and GM are getting criticized, but could they have done it differently?

China's unfair advantage: Why their EV dominance is a national strategy (like World War II mobilization), not a legacy automaker innovation story

Detroit vs. Phoenix whiplash: Living between two markets shows wildly different adoption curves and consumer mindsets

Political polarization hurt EVs: The conversation became politicized from day one, damaging innovation and development

Tesla's market share rebound: Despite Musk's White House ties, Cliff predicts Tesla gains share in 2026 as political affiliation recedes

Autonomous + EV = the real demand driver: Rivian's CEO predicts autonomous features will be expected by 2030. If true, EVs will surge because autonomy requires electric platforms

Used EV growth is guaranteed: 5x growth over the last 5 years, another 5x coming regardless of Trump administration policies

This is a capital markets lens on the EV transition—grounded, skeptical, and deeply informed by what investors are actually doing (versus what regulators or advocates want them to do).

About Cliff: Founder of AUTOVATE, a premier conference for automotive investors and dealer executives, and creator of The Banks Report. Based between Detroit and Phoenix, Cliff has been tracking capital flows in automotive retail for over a decade.

🔗 Learn more about Recurrent: https://www.recurrentauto.com
 🔗 Learn more about AUTOVATE: https://www.autovate.org

Can EVs work in rural Texas? Christopher Singleton says yes, but only if dealers get the strategy right.

Christopher Singleton, Managing Partner at Mike Terry Auto Group, oversees four dealership locations across central and east Texas—markets where diesel trucks dominate, charging infrastructure is sparse, and shoppers prioritize reliability over technology. In this conversation, Christopher shares how his team is navigating the EV transition in communities where the use case has to be proven, not assumed.

What we cover:

Why most of buyers end up purchasing something different than they planned, and how that creates EV opportunities

The myth of range anxiety: Why Christopher changed his mind after personally owning EVs

Why hybrid technology may be the smarter near-term strategy for rural dealers (hint: it's about service margins)

How to match inventory to local demographics: income levels + infrastructure = success

Why education (not pressure) is the key to converting skeptical shoppers

Christopher brings a refreshingly honest, business-focused perspective to EV adoption. He's not anti-EV, but he's meeting his rural customers where they are. 

🔗 Learn more about Recurrent: https://www.recurrentauto.com

Is 2026 the year used EVs finally break through? EV Insider host Scott sits down with Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier of ASOTU to unpack what's actually happening in the market right now.

Their conference:
https://www.asotucon.com/

They dig into why there's historically no tight correlation between gas prices and new EV sales — except for one notable six-month stretch in 2022, when EV share jumped 50%. With gas prices spiking again and CarMax reporting a 28% year-over-year increase in used EV searches, the question isn't whether demand is building — it's whether it will convert before prices stabilize.

A big part of the answer is supply. The wave of 2022-era EVs is coming off lease right now, flooding the used market with affordable inventory at exactly the moment consumers are feeling pain at the pump. But there's a catch: many of those original lessees had payments as low as $200/month thanks to aggressive captive finance rates and incentives that no longer exist. How dealers navigate those returning customers — and whether they trade up, buy used, or walk — is one of the most interesting storylines of the year.

Scott also shares some of Recurrent's most surprising findings from six years and 35,000 vehicles worth of real-world data: EV batteries are lasting longer than expected, and most EVs are actually exceeding their EPA range estimates after three years on the road. The data suggests dealers and manufacturers have been underselling the product — and that EV retention rates sit above 90% once someone makes the switch.

The group also debates whether dealers who've pulled back on EV education are walking into a trap, and why Toyota's decision to go all-in on EVs in 2026 — while everyone else is zigging toward hybrids — might be the smartest move in the industry.

EV Insider is produced by Recurrent, the company helping dealers and consumers make smarter decisions with real-world EV data. 

https://www.recurrentauto.com/about/ev-insider

CDK Study 👇
https://www.cdkglobal.com/insights/new-study-reveals-sharp-shift-evs

Electric vehicle adoption faces a surprising challenge: shoppers believe things about EVs that simply aren't true. And according to automotive leader David Thomas, from CDK Global, these misconceptions are getting worse, not better.

In this episode, David shares eye-opening data from his latest research on EV shopper perceptions, revealing a massive gap between what people believe and what's actually true about electric vehicle ownership costs, charging infrastructure, and long-term value.

What We Cover:

🔧 The Maintenance Myth – Why all shopper types (including current EV owners!) wrongly believe EVs cost more to maintain and repair

💰 The Leasing Landscape Shift – How 77% of shoppers changed their preference when offered great lease deals, and what happens now that those incentives are gone

⚡ The Charging Infrastructure Paradox – 30% more DC fast chargers added in the past year, yet shopper confidence is declining. Why?

🚗 Tire Wear: Myth or Reality? – Unpacking whether EVs really chew through tires faster (spoiler: it's complicated)

📊 The Plug-in Hybrid Shopper Advantage – Why PHEV shoppers are the most informed group, even more than current EV owners

🔮 2026 Predictions – Where David is putting his money: luxury EVs and what that means for dealers

🏠 The Home Charging Blind Spot – Why 80% of households have the charging solution already (their driveway), but don't realize it

Guest:
David Thomas is an automotive industry leader at CDK Global specializing in market research and consumer behavior insights.

About EV Insider:
EV Insider is produced by Scott Case and the team at Recurrent, bringing you ground-level insights from automotive dealers, executives, and industry experts navigating the electric vehicle transition.

Learn more about Recurrent: https://www.recurrentauto.com

Subscribe for weekly EV industry insights from the people who live it every day.

In this episode of EV Insider, host Scott sits down with Laura Perrotta, President of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJCAR), to get a ground-level view of the EV market from someone representing 523 franchised dealers across the Garden State.

New Jersey is the #7 state for new EV sales and the only Northeast state in the top 10 — but that position is under pressure. Laura breaks down exactly what got New Jersey there, what's threatening that momentum, and what needs to happen next for EVs to truly go mainstream.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why NJ outperforms other Northeast states in EV adoption

How state and federal incentives (up to $4,000 + $7,500 federal) drove the EV rush — and what happened when they disappeared

The real sales drop-off dealers experienced after September 2025's incentive cliff

Why NJ's charging infrastructure ratio (40–45 EVs per public charger) is a hidden crisis — and the multifamily housing challenge making it worse

How Tesla Supercharger network access became a game changer for EV driver confidence

Who's buying EVs now — and who the next wave of buyers will be

The growing used EV market and what it means for dealers

The legislation NJ dealers are pushing for in 2026, including sales tax holidays and expanded charging infrastructure

What New Jersey's EV landscape could look like by 2028

Whether you're a dealer, a policy wonk, an EV enthusiast, or just thinking about your next car purchase, this episode gives you a candid, data-driven look at where the EV market really stands.

Subscribe for weekly EV industry insights, dealer perspectives, and the latest on electric vehicle trends across the U.S.

🔌 Get more EV Insider: https://www.recurrentauto.com/about/ev-insider

🌐 Learn more about NJCAR: https://www.njcar.org/

Scott Case sits down with Pete Berkey, General Manager of Lee Johnson Kia in Kirkland, Washington. This dealership is posting 30–40% EV sales penetration at a time when some of the industry is still in the single digits. 

Pete shares what's really happening on the ground: the split between EV6 and EV9 buyers after the $7,500 federal tax credit expired, Kia's decision to scale back EV builds and increase Telluride production by 50% in 2026, and why he believes the EV3 could open the market to buyers who've been priced out. 

His take on EV sales training (modeled on the Apple Store) is worth the watch alone.

Topics covered: EV sales trends, Kia EV lineup, federal tax credit impact, EV leasing, EV3 preview, dealer training, used EV market, EV infrastructure.

First-time EV buyers say they need 300 miles of range. Experienced EV drivers say they could have gotten by with 250. So who's right—and what does that mean for how dealerships sell electric cars?

In this episode of EV Insider, Recurrent CEO Scott Case sits down with Nathan Shaver, Managing Partner of Shaver Automotive Group, to unpack what's really driving EV sales in 2026.

They cover:

Why the 300-mile requirement is a first-timer's myth

What's actually happening in California's EV market post-tax credit

Why 300,000 off-lease EVs hitting the market in 2026 is a massive opportunity

How EV service contracts are failing dealers and consumers

What Nathan sees coming nationally that California is already living through

Recurrent tracks battery health data on over 30,000 EVs. Find out how that data changes the used EV conversation for buyers, sellers, and dealers alike.

🔋 Learn more: recurrentauto.com

📩 Subscribe for new EV Insider episodes every week

Tim Pohanka brings a perspective few in the auto industry can match. As Executive VP of Pohanka Automotive Group, one of America's oldest family-owned dealerships at 106 years, he watched his great-grandfather's horse stable become their first automotive shop. Now he's navigating another powertrain transition—and his take might surprise you.

What We Cover:

🏛️ Multi-Generational Perspective – From horses to combustion engines to EVs: how this transition compares to past industry shifts

💰 The $400/Month Reality – Why affordability, not features, will determine 2026 success for EVs

📈 The Off-Lease Surge – What happens when massive lease returns hit the market in 2026

🍃 2026 Nissan Leaf Excitement – Why Tim believes the redesigned Leaf addresses previous limitations

😰 Range Anxiety Solutions – What manufacturers can do to alleviate persistent consumer fears

Key Quote: "My car could drive itself, but if I can't afford to drive it, it doesn't matter. Families are targeting $400-$450/month payments. At $60,000, that's $800/month. The cars have got to become more affordable."

Guest: Tim Pohanka, Executive Vice President, Pohanka Automotive Group

Host: Scott Case, CEO at Recurrent

About EV Insider: 

EV Insider is produced by Scott Case and the team at Recurrent, bringing you ground-level insights from automotive dealers, executives, and industry experts navigating the electric vehicle transition.

Learn more about Recurrent: https://www.recurrentauto.com

Subscribe for weekly conversations with the people who are actually living the EV transition every day.