Big News! Took my 2019 Kia Niro EV in for its first service (i.e., tire rotation) to Price Kia in Charlottesville. They have two brand new 2020 Kia Niro EVs on the lot for sale! Both EX Premium with Cold Weather package, one silver, one black. The manager confirmed that they can now sell them. (Possibly due to excessive supply of them in Maryland?) He was happy to tweak his buddy at the sister Hyundai dealer in town about it. (That dealer has been quite uninterested/uninformed about EVs.) Was able to chat with a (quite) young salesman there about EVs and answer the questions he recalled from other customers about range, charging, etc.
I drove 180 mile from DFW to Austin TX to get mine. They only have something around 3 or. 4 Dealers that have the Niro EV. This year they change the dealers that have them. So it appears they are rotating the dealers in non carb zev states that have niro. After they get through all non CZ state they might prioritize the best selling states.
Thanks for the news! Living in Raleigh, having Niro EVs for sale in VA is one step closer to NC. Just a few weeks ago, closest state was MD.
I'm hoping that means more dealerships in more states will have BEV mechanics trained and on staff. The lack of "certified" mechanics has been a problem so far.
Beyer Kia in Falls Church, VA have had them since the beginning of 2020. That's where I bought my 2019 Niro EV. I believe that Kia requires specifically trained mechanics before allowing a dealership to carry them.