*By Britt Terrell*
For electric vehicles to truly take off with consumers, car dealerships will have to get on board, and manufacturers will have to find ways to competitively price their cars for American drivers.
A new [study](https://electrek.co/2018/05/21/electric-car-adoption-deceptive-car-dealerships-new-study/) about European car-buying in the journal Nature Energy found that car dealers may be hurting the sales and adoption of electric vehicles because salespeople are "dismissive and deceptive."
Brian Deagon, a senior reporter at Investor's Business Daily, said the same is likely true in the United States.
"We're on a slow growth track," Deagon said Wednesday in an interview with Cheddar. "Even though we've heard so much about hybrid vehicles and electric cars, they still represent something like 1 percent of the total cars on the road in the U.S."
Electric cars generally cost more than gas cars. Business Insider [estimates](http://www.businessinsider.com/electric-cars-roadblocks-tax-credit-2018-4?r=UK&IR=T) that the average price ー before subsidies and incentives ー for electric vehicles is around $42,000 compared to $34,000 for the average new car.
Federal and state governments are also beginning to back away from subsidies once granted to companies like Tesla to reduce the price of electric vehicles.
"Here in the state of California, for example, millions and millions have been applied to those subsidies and many consumers have been enticed by these subsidies, saving $7,000 or more," said Deagon. "That's a lot of money."
Car manufacturers will have to find news ways to make electric cars less expensive in the future.
"There is going to be a tremendous amount of familiarization that needs to take place, and it will," said Deagon. "But again, over time, I think people will go into a car lot and go 'Do I get an electric car or a gas car?' and it's going to come down to which one represents the better value for the consumer."
Automakers including Tesla, Ford, GM and BMW are investing billions in electric vehicles, Deagon said. "They'll certainly have the finances to persuade the car dealers at some point to open their doors and promote their cars."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/electric-vehicles-dealership-dilemma).
Officials and power operators are bracing the public for blackouts caused by higher-than-average temperatures this summer. Utility officials in California and Arizona are warning of potential interruptions this summer due to the strain on energy supplies. Heat waves and drought conditions weaken power grids and available electricity reserves. This also makes hydroelectric power less reliable and raises the risk of wildfires.
Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
The markets opened lower on Thursday as investors hold their breath ahead of the May consumer price index, which will give investors a better picture of the state of inflation in the United States. Michele Schneider, a partner and the director of trading research and education for MarketGauge.com, joined Cheddar to discuss. "If the CPI read is softer than what's expected, we actually might get a rally," she said. "If it's more than expected, then I think it will spook the market."
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
Pinterest is making a big move as it pushes further into online shopping. The image-focused social media site is acquiring A.I.-powered shopping platform THE YES as it focuses on enhancing the user shopping experience. THE YES's technology gives users a personalized feed of products based on their preferences, and Pinterest is banking on the tech to give it an advantage among other social media apps with built-in shopping features. Julie Bornstein, founder and CEO of THE YES, joins Closing Bell to discuss the company's unique technology, why it agreed to sell to Pinterest, her vision as she takes over shopping initiatives, and more.
Keith Barr, CEO of InterContinental Hotel Group, says he is expecting an 'incredible' summer for his business as pandemic conditions have normalized and people are ready to travel.
Dann Ryan, Chief Investment Officer at Sincerus Advisory, discusses what drove markets lower on Wednesday, as well as what investors are anticipating when it comes to the upcoming CPI report and Fed decision.
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
