Kain Joins NCM, VinFast Goes to NC, Calculating EV Battery Ranges

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Welcome to the first Wednesday of 2024 as we talk about a merger of the industry’s friendliest company with an educational powerhouse. We also talk about VinFast’s first Dealership as well as the magic behind EV range calculations. 

• NCM® Associates has acquired Louisville-based Kain Automotive, combining decades of expertise, and committing to further expanding their training offerings.
  • The merger enhances their collective prowess in internet sales, BDC operations, and digital marketing training.
  • NCM famously started the first 20 Group in 1947 and has been partnering with Kain Automotive for the last 15 years.
  • David Kain said about the merger, ““The opportunity for our company and team to become part of an organization that founded the principles of dealership collaboration and performance benchmarking is rare – and one worth taking. We have been fortunate to work with NCM for many years, and I have witnessed first-hand their commitment to our client's success. In this new structure of working together daily, we can further drive value to dealership leaders and managers.””
• VinFast has opened its first franchised dealership in North Carolina, partnering with Leith Automotive Group.
  • The store is located about 20 miles from the site of VinFast’s future US assembly plant, slated to begin production in 2025.
  • The Vietnamese EV maker began selling online and through 13 company owned showrooms in California last year. Through October 2023, there have been 218 VinFast registrations, according to S&P Global.
  • Leith has 37 franchises in the state, representing 24 brands.
  • This is the first of an initial rollout of  125 VinFast franchises, with plans for hundreds by the end of 2024.
• Ever wondered how the EPA gets their official battery ranges? Ars Technics did a detailed breakdown, and here’s a summary:
  • Before testing, vehicles undergo at least a 1,000-mile aging process, simulating real-world driving patterns.
  • Modern EV testing offers two options: a "single cycle" test repeating city and highway cycles until the battery is depleted, or a more comprehensive multi-cycle test.
  • The multi-cycle is comprised of the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS), a 7.45-mile drive at an average speed of 19.59 mph with stationary periods, while the Highway Fuel Economy Driving Schedule (HFEDS) tests higher speeds up to 59.9 mph over 765 seconds.
  • The EPA's 3 other tests in the multi-cycle for electric vehicles includes high-speed and high-acceleration driving, an air conditioning's impact assessment  on energy use, and a cold test to evaluate performance in cold temperatures. These additional tests ensure comprehensive assessments of an EV's real-world performance under various driving conditions.
  • The exact speed required at each second of the test is laid out in a spreadsheet, but controlled by a human driving each car on a dynamometer.

Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier

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