So there we were, parked at the Pony Express hut in Gothenburg, Nebraska, when I was approached for the umpteenth time…
"Nice car, what is it?
"It's a Tesla, it's all electric"
And the discussion continued, often with the person allowing that zero-emissions is really great for the environment, and ending with me suggesting that they get over to a Chevy dealer to have a look and a test drive of a real full-electric car.
Later on down the road, while my wife was finishing up her meal I spied a Chevy dealer and walked over.
"Hi, I'd like to speak with a salesperson about a Bolt"
"A what?"
"A Bolt, a BoltEV"
Blank
"Let me have you talk with one of my salesmen"
"Hi, I've got a question about the Bolt availability here in Nebraska"
Blank with furrowed forehead,
"You mean the Volt"
"No, the Bolt EV, you know, the electric car"
Blank
By then, another salesperson joined and said,
"I know the car you're talking about - it's not available in Nebraska. We even had a customer go to Denver and try to buy a new one to bring here, but he couldn't do it because it's illegal"
"Is that a Chevy or a state government issue?"
"Dunno, but it's ok to bring in used cars into the state"
"Thank you"
A hundred miles down the road I spied another Chevy dealer while we were eating lunch, so I walked over. After letting me cool my heels for what seemed like an eternity (I thought I was reasonably presentable although wearing shorts), one of the people finally approached me.
Same thing, after trying to correct me that it's a Volt I want, he finally recognized the car and said they don't sell them but he led me to the sales manager who knew what I was talking about and said they had not been selling any but that he understood they might actually be getting one in in the not-to-distant future and would I like to leave my name, etc.
Not having seen any electric cars other than Teslas at charging stations (which just opened up across Interstate 80 in Wyoming last week), one way of looking at it is that there is a tremendous opportunity for electric vehicle expansion in the middle of the country. 'Cmon Chevy, educate your (plentiful) dealerships and give them a product to sell!