My SB167 testimony in full: My name is Sean Mitchell. I’m here as a resident of Colorado and head of a 1000+ member Colorado EV club. In my spare time I also create content around the EV industry online. I’ve now driven or seen in person every major EV on the market or soon to
be including the Porsche Taycan, Ford Mach-E, Jaguar I-Pace, Chevy Bolt, Rivian R1T and R1S, and Tesla Model Y and Cybertruck, to name a few. I’d like to share why I think this bill supports free market and consumer choice. At the Air Quality Control Commission hearing in May of
2019 Colorado Auto Dealer Association CEO Tim Jackson gave an impassioned speech around how Colorado consumers are not ready for EVs. LOL. Tim waxed so eloquently about consumer choice saying, “As dealers, we understand the old adage, consumers and customers rule. They will not
be bullied, they will not be compromised or misled.” Tim puts dealerships so much on a pedestal that any mention of an alternate sales model is utter auto heresy. Don’t believe me, just check Tim’s twitter - @ TimWJackson. He even goes so far as to spread misinformation about EVs
, including how “long charging times are real.” He based this on charging on a 110v outlet which takes 25-30 hours. Tim failed to mention most EV owners charge at home overnight on a 240v, taking 5-8 hours. He also did not touch on the 15-30 minute fast charging available when
owners are on the road. The fear mongering by Tim does not stop there, though. He continued by saying “Range anxiety is real. Consumers do not want to be left on the side of a mountain in rush hour traffic fearing whether or not they have enough battery on board to make it to
the next charging station.” Yet all 12 of the best selling electric vehicles in the US in 2019 have more than 150 miles of range. 3 of the top 5 offer more than 300 miles of range, with a 400 mile range EV arriving this year. Spreading misinformation to legislators about how
Tesla is delayed 6 months out for service? Yup, he’s done that too. I know because I spoke with those legislators. If I’d like to see how booked out Tesla service is, I can pull up my Tesla up to show you. As of today, they are only about two weeks booked out. If the dealer
model is so fantastic why does Tim go to so much trouble to distort and mislead consumers and legislators? Let it stand on its own two feet and compete in a free market instead of hiding under government laws. After all that is how consumers make buying decisions on almost every
other consumer product. So, when Tim says that consumers “will not be bullied, they will not be compromised or misled,” as a Colorado consumer, I’m here to say that Tim is correct. We are tired of being bullied and misled by what dealerships want us to know about EVs.
Manufacturers should have fair and equal access to Colorado consumers just as dealers do. Consumers should have fair and equal access to choose what buying experience they think is best. Please vote in favor of 167.
