There isn?t a Tesla store in downtown Portland, Oregon, although next year the city will get something that at a quick glance might be mistaken for one. It’s to be called the Oregon Living Lab, a storefront gallery that will act as a brand-neutral showcase for electric-vehicle technology, exhibits, and events and a hub for demos and test drives.
The Living Lab is part of a plan proposed by Drive Oregon, a Pacific Northwest electric-vehicle advocacy and industry group. It’s slated to be almost entirely federally funded?by a $993,450 award, part of a $58 million allocation designated to advance ?fuel-efficient vehicle technologies? from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies program. In all, the program is funding 35 projects that aim to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of plug-in electric vehicles as well as conventional gasoline and alternative-fuel vehicles. The showroom is needed for one reason: Beyond a narrow group of geeky early adopters?who arrive at the showroom often better informed than the dealership?s sales staff?electric cars are a tough sell. Simply put, a lot of car shoppers for whom EVs would work fine as daily drivers don?t understand the benefits of driving electric. Convincing those shoppers of the vehicles’ merits involves more time and effort on the part of salespeople and dealerships than some stores are willing to contribute.
That led the National Automotive Dealers Association to put out some gui...