Dealer News Today Podcasts · Dealer News Today

“We help change communities by providing opportunities” || Mike Ferrer, Principal, Hickey and Associates

·30 min·2 clips

Dealer News Today brings on Mike Ferrer, principal of Hickey and Associates, and the conversation settles quickly into dealership realities around electrification. Derek opens with easy back-and-forth, and Mike answers in the same plainspoken style, keeping the focus on what dealers actually need to know instead of piling on jargon. The chip story comes up early. Mike explains how a small group of manufacturers controls most of the global market for the highest-end chips, and why that matters when the supply chain gets strained. COVID is the obvious turning point. He points to the way shipping costs surged, including the jump from about $1,000 per container before the pandemic to just shy of $11,000 at the peak. That kind of spike puts pressure on the whole system. The episode makes clear that vehicle manufacturing does not change overnight. Mike stresses that factory retooling, supply shifts, and new production lines take years to work through. Then the discussion turns to money. Derek asks the practical question dealers would ask: how to tap into the incentives surrounding electrification. Mike walks through the Inflation Reduction Act in simple terms. He explains that the law can cover a lot of ground, from home and business electrification to fleet vehicles. Some commercial credits can reach as high as $40,000 if the vehicles qualify. He also notes that the details are not identical everywhere. California is treated as a tougher environment than Wyoming, and that difference matters when a dealer is planning around compliance and incentives. The show keeps pulling the topic back to the store level. If a dealership is expected to carry EVs, it also needs to figure out charging. That is not a small side issue. It is part of the cost of entry. Mike makes the broader point that electrification is coming whether dealers want it or not, so the real question is how much pain gets pushed down to them and how fast they can adapt. Derek does a solid job of translating that into dealer language. He restates the implications, asks for clarification where needed, and keeps the interview moving without losing the thread. The result is a conversation that feels useful to anyone watching EV rollout from the retail side. It is not a policy seminar. It is a dealer conversation about pressure, timing, incentives, and the bills that show up when the industry changes. Mike keeps the answers concrete. Derek keeps the tone easy to follow. Together they make the economics of electrification feel a lot less abstract.

As heard by us

A clear look at how EV policy and supply chain pressures shape dealership planning.

Dealer News Today keeps its focus on the business side of electrification, with Mike Ferrer of Hickey & Associates walking through how EV policy, supply chains, and incentives shape dealership planning.

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Why you'd press play

See how EV policy turns into dealership costs, credits, and the charging decisions behind the showroom floor.

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