More than 100 dealer locations are electric vehicle (EV)-authorized, Navistar announced Wednesday. The OEM says that's more than 30% of its dealer locations ready to support the sale and service of International and IC Bus EVs.
These dealers cover 41 U.S. states and seven Canadian provinces.
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"The International and IC Bus dealer network live our customer-first value and that is no different in the transition to EVs," says Debbie Shust, vice president of work truck business, Navistar. "A zero-emissions future requires collaboration from all stakeholders. For our customers to have a positive experience with EVs, our dealers must be appropriately prepared to sell and service them."
EV-authorized dealers must:
Navistar says its EV-authorized dealers understand the EV journey is uncertain. They are focused on ensuring an exceptional customer experience from the sales process through maintenance and operation.
"We see the future of commercial transportation being more and more battery electric in certain applications," says Rick Otten, president of Cumberland, an International and IC Bus dealer with nine locations in Tennessee and Florida. "We want to be ahead of the curve to best serve our customers and provide a flawless customer service experience for all the vehicles we offer, either diesel, electric or other fuel options by application as a bridge to potentially electric as a solution. We are future-proofing our business and educating ourselves so that we can be trusted advisors to our truck and bus customers in their journeys to sustainable operations, regardless of where they are in that journey now."
