EVEN Electric Announces a Multi Brand Retail Concept to Drive Electric Vehicle Industry

OTTAWA, Ontario, Aug. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new venture called EVEN Electric was announced today in Ottawa, ON, Canada.  EVEN will create the first global sales and distribution network for electric vehicle transportation offering multi-brand new and pre-owned vehicles through an innovative retail and online customer experience.  

"The traditional dealership model has proven unable to deliver the sales and service experience that EV owners want and need," said Mike Elwood, CEO of the new Canada-based venture.  "Our EVEN model was developed to combine the best aspects of both an on-line and in-store retail experience to make it easy for EV customers to find and acquire exactly what they want, when and where they want it."

"Moving from dealership to dealership to shop one car at a time is simply an outdated process.  EVEN has created an entirely new distribution model – one that is enabled by technology to offer customers an unprecedented level of choice and convenience," said John Gordon, EVEN's COO.  "At the same time, EVEN will significantly lower costs across the entire supply chain by optimizing the flow of EVs directly to the global markets when and where they're needed." 

EVEN will maintain electric vehicle inventories at efficient and cost-effective centralized processing centers in key countries.  Once selected, a vehicle will be shipped to the nearest 'Customer Centre,' a streamlined and less capital intensive version of a dealership. Vehicle deliveries – as well as service – can occur at either the Customer Centre, or directly in an owner's driveway. 

Simultaneously, EVEN is engaging and consulting with governments, fleets and NGOs to more fully participate in development of EV infrastructure and deployment. Elwood said that in addition to recent successes in Iceland, EVEN is in advanced discussions with locations in Canada, Norway, Panama, Ireland, Belgium and the U.K. with others coming on line. A recent pilot project in Iceland proved that consumer demand for EVs is high, provided the proper distribution and infrastructure services are in place. The EVEN model quickly sold 100 cars and left an additional 200 orders unmet simply due to supply constraints.

A number of partners are coming forward to support the new venture including Microsoft which has provided software to enable the backend of the business where customers can get information, compare vehicles, scan inventories and even place their vehicle order.

The driving force behind EVEN Electric are the three partners;

• Mike Elwood, CEO and co- founder who also co-founded Electric Mobility Canada which has become a national, membership-based organization dedicated exclusively to the promotion of electric mobility in Canada.
• Gisli Gislason, Chairman and founder, is also the founder of Northern Lights Energy Holding and Icelandic Holding Company. Gislason has led a variety of EV activities and research projects from Iceland to China, Japan, Europe and North America and has piloted new ways of selling EVs including concept stores, online sales and test drive road shows.
• John Gordon, COO and co-founder , has been operating Canada's first 100% Multi Brand Electric Vehicle Dealership and Service Centre, Green Rock E.V.S., since 2013. Gordon also focuses on re-distribution of off-lease and used EVs and infrastructure charging products throughout the Atlantic Canadian market.

In addition to the three top officers in EVEN Electric, the group has formed an added strategic partnership with EVoCharge, a Los Angeles-based leader in the development and supply of innovative EV charging infrastructure products including its EVoReel cable management solutions.

"You can't find a more dedicated or experienced team anywhere," says Gislason, "because there's nobody who's been more directly involved with and committed to EV commercialization than the team we've assembled.  That includes our Advisory Board which is second to none in the EV industry."

"EV infrastructure is improving, political will is changing, incentives continue and lifecycle ownership costs of an EV are one tenth of an ICE," said Gislason.  "That makes the whole EV ownership process more accessible, more desirable and more fun." 

SOURCE EVEN Electric