March 15, 2026 | Bonus Episode: Plug CEO Jimmy Douglas’ 2026 used EV predictions; testing 2026 Dodge Charger in snow

Hey, it's Staley Drive, executive producer Jake Near in Detroit.

Thanks for joining me for this bonus episode of the show.

Earlier this week, I spoke with Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug,

about the used EV market and what dealers need to know

is more than a million least EVs are set to come back over the next three years.

We brought you the first part of that conversation on Wednesday's episode.

If you missed it, go back and check it out.

In this second and final part of our conversation,

Jimmy explains what dealers should be doing right now to prepare for that wave of inventory,

why having at least 10 used EVs on the lot makes a huge difference in how fast they sell,

and why dealers need to be either all in or all out on used EVs, not halfway in between.

Here's the rest of my conversation with Plug CEO Jimmy Douglas.

Let's say we're sitting here six months from now and we're talking again,

what do you expect this all to look like and how it's going to play out?

What should dealers be thinking about as they stock their lots and try to figure out what the

strategy should be going forward? Well, if I'm a dealer, especially a franchise dealer,

and I'm looking at a least return forecast for the year, and I see this impending wave of

1.1 million vehicles coming back over the next three years, I need to be ready.

And being ready means developing a new set of muscles to confidently and quickly

retail sell high volumes of used EVs. In order to do that properly, your team needs to be very

confident and drawing from first hand experience because it's an educational purchase,

and when it comes to things like charging at home or on the road, sizing up the correct amount

of range that you actually need, there are so many little things that people don't have to think

about when they're buying a gas powered car and a confident salesperson will make all of the

difference in the world. And for some use cases, an EV is probably still not the right tool for

the job, not for every customer, but for many, it might be the best tool for the job objectively.

And being ready with the team that fully embraces those assets as they're hitting the lots will create

a bit of magnetism for those around them who are proactively seeking them out. We see in our data

that dealers that have at least 10 or more used EVs in stock at any given point in time,

sell those vehicles on an average of about 28 days compared to about 50% slower for dealers that

have fewer than that. That's interesting. What is the reason for that? Quite simply, the team

is proactively seeking out used EV inventory. You generally don't have that many on your lot on

accident. And if you're doing that, that means you're likely sourcing the vehicles with attention

to nuance and having a diversified product mix, a different set of potentially brands, drive

unit configurations, battery pack sizes, ADAS features, and then the team being conditioned on how

to properly sell them because they consistently have them in stock. It's not just a one off that's

sitting there because they received a vehicle as a trade-in and they decided not to wholesale it if

it wasn't within their comfort zone. So really putting an emphasis on having an EV center of

excellence will enable your team to be more confident in selling them, but that also means

customers who are looking for them are more likely to find you. So the dealers that get the most out

of the market conditions this year will be the ones that are really focusing on EVs.

That's my view. And it's also my view that dealers should not be half stepping into it.

If a dealer is ready to commit to this business line and embrace the lease returns and

be more aggressive when putting numbers on EV trade-ins, then they should go all in on it and make

sure that every single person at the store is fully prepared for those educational conversations.

If a dealer is not there yet, what we also see in our data is that being halfway in is a recipe

for a disaster. They should just be all in or all out. And for those who want to be all out,

there are plenty of great options on the table, including our own EV trade desk, which will give

them a cash offer on the spot at the point of appraisal with an immediate liquidation option if

they decide that they're not ready to carry that vehicle as a retailing unit. All right, Jimmy,

take us out here. What else do we need to know about this subject before we end off here?

I would say anybody that is curious about the used EV market should just spend some time behind

the wheel. And I don't mean just an overnight test drive. You really get a feel for what it's

like to live that experience when it's your daily driver for a good couple of weeks. You can

experience charging at home. If you don't have level two installed, then plug it into your 110

and experience level one. It's really slow, but for some people, it gets the job done if your

commute is short enough. Use a destination charger, DC fast charging, ideally a Tesla supercharger

if the vehicle is properly equipped. And if not, become familiar with the adapters that are

available. It's a totally different experience. And once you've made it through those first few

weeks, it becomes a lot more second nature. And that makes you a lot better equipped to properly

evaluate, appraise, acquire, and sell them. Jimmy Douglas CEO of Plug. Thank you so much for

joining us today. Really appreciate you. Appreciate you, Jake. Thank you.

Coming up, our own Rudy Shortk takes the new Dodge Charger lineup out in the snow. That's

next on this bonus episode of Daily Drive. The EV transition has been slower than many people

expected. And the financial strain isn't just hitting automakers. On this week's episode of the

Automotive News Shift Podcast, I'm joined by Mohammed Faturi, director of the Engineering

and Power Solutions Division at Bosch. He explains how tier one suppliers are dealing with the

pressure of a softer EV ramp, shifting customer demand, and policy uncertainty. And how they're

adapting in real time. From day one, you think about options and flexibility. If you are planning

based on flexibility or optionality, then you have the leverage in the future if need be to pivot

very quickly. I'm Molly Boygon. Join me on Shift, available this Sunday wherever you get your podcasts.

When you think about driving in the snow, a Dodge Charger probably isn't the first car that comes

to mind, but Dodge invited us out to Stover Mont to do exactly that, putting the new charger

lineup through its paces in real winter conditions. Now last year, I drove the 2-door

550 horsepower Charger Skat Pack during a test drive event in Tennessee. But on this trip,

I was able to drive both the new four-door charger RT and the four-door Skat Pack,

going back and forth between the two throughout the day. For those not familiar, the Charger RT

is powered by Dodge's three-liter twin turbo Hurricane Inline 6, producing 420 horsepower

and 468 pound feet of torque. Dodge says that gives it the most standard horsepower of any muscle

car, with a targeted 0-60 time of about 5 seconds, and a top speed around 168 mph. Above that,

sits the Skat Pack, which bumps power to 550 horsepower using the high output version of the same

engine. But one of the biggest changes with this new generation of Charger isn't just the engine.

It's the addition of standard all-wheel drive. As you may already know, previous Chargers were rear

wheel drive, which made them great for performance, but not ideal for winter climates. The system

can send power to all four wheels when you need traction, but it can also shift power back to

the rear wheels, so the car still behaves like a traditional Dodge muscle car when you want it to.

That combination is part of what Dodge says could help expand the Chargers appeal to drivers

in northern states. In Canada, where snow is a regular part of life. Honestly, the difference

between the RT and the Skat Pack isn't as dramatic as you might expect in some areas.

For example, when it comes to the interior, I really didn't notice a massive difference going

between the trims. Yeah, the higher-end Skat Pack versions do come with upgraded materials and

some additional features, but if you're a prospective buyer looking at the base RT,

it doesn't feel like a stripped-down version of that car. It still feels like you're getting the

same overall design, the same technology, and the same general experience inside the cabin.

So if someone went with the lower trim to save money, I don't think they'd walk away feeling

like they were missing out. Now, obviously, there's a difference when it comes to performance.

There's more than 100 horsepower separating the two models, 130 to be exact, and that's noticeable.

But the RT still feels very quick. In fact, during the drive, I was allegedly racing another

journalist while we were out in the highway. We'd get lined up, floor the pedal, and really see

what the cars could do. And what I've noticed was straight off the line, the acceleration still feels

pretty similar. But once you start getting into the higher speeds, the 550 horsepower Skat Pack

eventually pulls ahead, which is exactly what you'd expect. And speaking of those higher

speeds, one thing I mentioned in my previous charge review still applies here. These cars are wide

and they're heavy. But interestingly, that actually works in their favor when it comes to stability.

At speed, the car feels planted and competent. A lot of that comes down to things like the wide

body stance, performance suspension setup, and the standard all-wheel drive system, which all work

together to keep the car stable even when you're pushing it a bit. It's a big car, but it doesn't

feel out of control. But of course, the real point of this trip was seeing how the new charger

handles winter driving. We spent a lot of time on snowy roads and winter driving courses,

testing how the all-wheel drive system handles traction in the preconditions. Now for how these cars

actually handled in the snow, honestly, they were excellent. I mean, Dodge wouldn't bother flying

a bunch of journalists out to Vermont right after a heavy snowfall with ice all over the roads if these

cars were terrible to drive in the winter. We did drifting, donuts, rally-style driving through

snow-packed courses, solemn runs. Pretty much everything you'd want to do in a performance car

in the snow. Every trim handled it really well. The all-wheel drive system gives you a lot of

confidence, especially when you're sliding around intentionally. The car still feels playful

like a muscle car, but it never feels like you're about to completely lose it. And honestly,

I think this winter capability is going to make a lot of Dodge charger fans happy. It also

probably means even more people will be driving like maniacs on a large freeway in Detroit after

a fresh snowfall. I'd ask you not to do that, but I know that wouldn't stop any of you,

so just be safe, I guess. My drive to the office is already crazy enough with the other drivers on

the road. Now I want to address the elephant in the room. Yes, I know that a lot of you out there

want the V8. And honestly, I get it. If you're spending this kind of money on a muscle car,

it's totally reasonable to want the classic V8 sound and feel. As a reminder, these chargers use

Dodge's twin turbo 3-liter hurricane in line 6 engine. So the performance numbers are definitely

there, but muscle cars have been tied to big V8 engines for decades, and that's going to take

some time for people to get used to. Personally, after driving them, I think the new engines deliver

plenty of performance, but I also completely understand why long time charger fans are still hoping

to see a V8 return someday. Now in terms of pricing, the new charger lineup actually lands in a

pretty interesting spot. The charger RT starts at a little over $50,000 while the SCAT pack version

pushes closer to the $60,000 range, depending on options. So the jump between the trims isn't massive,

which means a lot of buyers will probably be deciding whether the extra horsepower is worth stepping

up to the SCAT pack. Performance-wise, the numbers are still very strong. The RT makes 420 horsepower

and can get from 0 to 60 in roughly 5 seconds, which is still quick for full-size muscle car.

The SCAT pack jumps to 550 horsepower and that's where things start getting seriously fast.

But one of the more interesting pieces of tech in these cars is the all-wheel drive system.

Even though the charger now comes standard with all-wheel drive,

it can actually disconnect from the front axle when it doesn't eat it, which lets the car behave

more like a traditional rear-wheel drive muscle car when you're driving normally or pushing it a bit.

So you get the traction benefits when you need them, like in the snow, but you still get that

classic muscle car feel the rest of the time. So after spending time with both versions of the

new charger, the RT and the SCAT pack, I think Dodge is trying to do something pretty interesting

here. They're keeping the performance and attitude people expect from a muscle car,

but they're trying to make it something you can drive year-round even in places that get real

winters. And after driving these things around in the snow and Vermont, I can confidently say that

these can handle it. Now whether fans will fully embrace a charger without a V8 is still a big question,

but one thing is clear, Dodge didn't build a boring replacement, the built-in muscle car that's

trying to survive the next era. Thanks for listening to this bonus episode of Daily Drive,

come back on Monday for a brand new, full episode of the show.