Test a Tesla or Buy a Bolt With Help From Your Electric Company
- Utilities make EV sales pitch from showrooms to courtrooms
- EVs promise new power demand as efficient appliances pare use
A Tesla Inc. electric vehicle sits parked in front of a charging station.
Photographer: Gabby Jones/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Power companies are loaning out Teslas in Washington, electrifying bus fleets in Virginia and lobbying for electric vehicle tax credits on Capitol Hill.
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. even went so far as to help train salespeople on how to convince consumers to buy electric cars and then paid them as much as $500 per sale. It’s all part of a $1.5 billion effort by utilities such as Exelon Corp. and Dominion Energy Inc. to promote vehicles that run on electricity.