Marcotte Ford takes its auto dealership and community into the future with EV charging
Industry
Automotive
Charging spots
10
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided
45,775kg
Nestled between the mountains and rivers of Massachusetts, “Holyoke Proud” embodies the best of the American spirit. It’s not just that this old, hard-working city is lovingly known as The Paper City or the birthplace of volleyball. It’s also cherished for dedicated community businesses like the Marcotte Ford auto dealership. Marcotte Ford has long been redefining what an auto dealership means to a community. Take its entire campus, meeting essential community needs from commercial parts, sales and a truck center to rentals, a car wash, a community cafe and a deeply held corporate commitment to giving back to their community.
It comes as no surprise that Marcotte Ford has brought EV charging to its campus and community. As Americans embrace the EV lifestyle in record numbers, Marcotte Ford has invested in EV charging with ChargePoint — a decision that is both good for the planet and for business.
Hear from Marcotte Ford directly about how and why EV charging has been good for their auto dealership and community.
"A huge bright spot of the ChargePoint chargers is getting new customers to the dealership who have never been here before."
Mike Marcotte
President
Marcotte Ford
Why Marcotte Ford electrified its dealership
Marcotte Ford embraced electric vehicles and EV charging to give customers choices. It’s a decision that has more than paid off for the dealership. In fact, Marcotte Ford was one of ten dealerships in the country chosen to learn early about Ford’s Model E program, including the Ford Lightning and Mach-E. Quickly, Marcotte Ford encountered the growing national demand for the EV lifestyle, including more customers wanting to buy the Ford Lightning than the dealership’s initial supply.
Going electric is a team sport
As part of embracing EVs, Marcotte Ford was dedicated to involving the whole team. They decided to have every team member bring home a Ford Lightning or a Mach-E overnight and test drive the EVs, asking questions and putting themselves in their customers’ shoes. This investment in inclusion and experiential learning has paid off, with team members having first-hand knowledge and comfort with the models.
“It really helped to get everyone involved, not just the owner and the managers — it was the whole team behind it, so they were comfortable.”
Mike Marcotte
President, Marcotte Ford
The auto dealership business benefits from ChargePoint EV charging
Investing in ChargePoint EV chargers on-site has had an enormous business impact on Marcotte Ford. While the dealership is used to attracting Ford customers, EV drivers with other EVs now come to the on-campus EV charging hub at Marcotte Ford, getting steady exposure to Ford EV models like the Lightning set up next to the stations with every charging session. That charging customers can grab a convenient bite for breakfast and lunch at the on-site LugNutz Cafe doesn’t hurt either.
“It's a learning curve as we all grow. We're figuring out as we go and ChargePoint has been helping us with that.”
Mike Marcotte
President, Marcotte Ford
Why Marcotte Ford partnered with ChargePoint
Marcotte Ford partnered with ChargePoint for EV charging for several reasons. From broker meetings to their trusted installer, the ChargePoint name kept coming up again and again as a “trusted source.” That ChargePoint offers 98% uptime compared to other companies who only offer 50% couldn’t be beat, knowing they’d always be operational. The partnership has been ongoing, with ChargePoint experts available to guide Marcotte Ford every step of the way and even joined the EV charging ribbon cutting.
“ChargePoint was always talked about when we were at dealer meetings. Their name just kept coming up and coming up. So, we knew it was a trusted source. And our installer, that was the first name they thought of also. So, we felt more comfortable using a company and looking at their 98% uptime.”
Mike Marcotte
President, Marcotte Ford
How to approach charging for charging
Marcotte Ford has been flexible and evidence-based every step of the way when pricing their EV charging. Based on real-world evidence and surrounding competitor pricing, they lowered their charging pricing to attract more EV drivers from the highway, approaching it almost as an advertising cost. One of the highlights has been seeing firsthand how EV charging has brought new people to the dealership and how every EV charging session exposes them to Marcotte Ford inventory for 20 to 30 minutes.
Drum roll, please...Marcotte Ford’s favorite EV
The Ford Lightning is a favorite with Marcotte Ford staff and customers for its speed and high-tech features. For the team, nothing beats experiencing a 75-year-old customer purchase his Ford Lightning with the joy and excitement of someone buying their first car. Moments like these are why Marcotte Ford does business the Holyoke way.
“If we can help those customers in any way with the chargers, so it's one less worry for them, they have one more hub to stop at. It's a win-win.”
Mike Marcotte
President, Marcotte Ford
At ChargePoint, we’re honored to be a part of our customers’ electrification stories like Marcotte Ford. We believe the Electric Revolution has the power to change the world. In fact, it already has.
We’re also grateful our customers like Marcotte Ford choose to share their stories because they’re passionate about the electrification of transportation and how it has positively impacted their organizations. Like many companies around the world, they’ve discovered that what’s good for the planet is also good for business.
E-mobility is here to stay. Perhaps it’s time to share or start your own electric story. Reach out to us and let us know. We’d love to hear it or work with you.
