A new way of buying cars will launch next year after Nordic firm EVEN Electric signed a deal with Microsoft Sweden to develop a digital sales platform.

This new smart trading platform will use systems from price comparison sites, artificial intelligence, and bot technology to match the needs of buyers to electric cars and services.

Pop-up stores will also be set up around the world to provide a physical presence and distribution channel, working on lines developed recently by the likes of Tesla, Hyundai, and VW.

Founded in 2008 in Iceland by Gisli Gislason, EVEN came about because Gislason believed that the existing sales structure is built to support internal combustion cars. Now, by partnering with Microsoft, EVEN can realise its business plan of providing a modern way of selling cars.

Gisli Gislason, said:

“Planet Earth is our home, and we must take care of it by switching to EVs. The problem is, if you go to a car dealer today, many merchants will try to sell you a fossil fuel-driven car because they generate more revenue. This is because there are so few moving parts in an electric car and virtually nothing gets broken.

“We want to challenge this, so we decided to look for new and better ways to help OEMs to sell electric cars, and to find a technology partner to help us build the solution.

“In order for this project to succeed, we need not only to make it easier and more appealing for consumers to find the right fit for their needs – we also need to make it attractive and easy for distributors and manufacturers to find buyers for their products and services.”

Niklas Johnsson, Head of Microsoft Services in Sweden, said:

“EVEN has a great idea with enormous potential to revolutionize the electric car market. With our expertise and global scalable cloud services, we will together create new opportunities and a unique customer experience that not only sets the right conditions for a more efficient electric car market but also contributes to a more sustainable society.

“We are proud of this co-operation with high ambitions to make buying electric cars more accessible, affordable and convenient globally.”

Source: Next Green Car

Europe has increased plug-in vehicle sales every month so far this year, exceeding 21,000 deliveries in May (21,371 – a “non December”/year end record), up a strong 48% over a year ago.

After five months, sales are now approaching 105,000 (which is up 21% year-over-year).

Six models exceeded the 1,000 sales mark in May:

• Renault ZOE #1 – 2,095 (12,957 YTD)
• Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV #2 – 1,842 (8,018 YTD)
• BMW i3 #3 – 1,629 (8,660 YTD)
• Nissan LEAF #4 – 1,378 (9,404 YTD)
• Volkswagen Passat GTE #5 – 1,170 (5,374 YTD)
• Mercedes GLC350e #6 – 1,105 (4,589 YTD)

Tesla sold some 1,640 cars during the month, including 899 Model S (5,191 YTD) and 741 Model X (4,036 YTD).

As you can see, there is no threat for the Renault ZOE at the top, which has pulled ahead by some 3,500 registrations over the second place LEAF in five months. Truly, this race is already over. We suspect that the new 2018 Nissan LEAF when it arrives in Europe in early 2018 will put up a much better fight, as will the Tesla Model 3.

Here is comparison of U.S. and Europe results:

Source: InsideEVs