trading in an EV - do you bring the EVSE Charger?

[remarquian]

Twice I've traded in an EV and each time I purposefully didn't bring the charger, cuz I had sold it. They give me a number and the sale happens.

Then sometime later someone from the dealership calls and asks "Where's the charger?" And we go through this dance where I say I don't have the charger (true, I sold it). Then they ask about the charger from the vehicle I just bought. To which I ask about a deal being a deal and asking for the charger after the deal without any contractual provisions is not going to fly. Then they just go away.

I mean this is something that has an MSRP for over $500, and can be sold on the secondary market for $200.

What's up with that?

Is every used EV sold with a charger? Does the KBB/Black Book quotes assume a charger?

I'm thinking not.

 

[Bolt2019]

I would think there'd be a reasonable expectation of any car being returned/traded in to have all the bits it came with. But sure, maybe you swap out the wheels and sold the originals. Maybe you misplaced the owners manual. Maybe you used up the flat-fill goop. Maybe the cheapo air pump broke. Maybe the tow hook got lost in the aftermath of the tow event. Maybe you put in after-market seats and sold the originals. Maybe you bought an L2 charger and sold the OEM.
It's reasonable for them to call back and ask. It's reasonable for you to say you don't have it. It's possible the minimum-wage lot boy lifted it to make that $200. Who knows.
At the end of the day...it's up to the new owner (in this case the dealer) to check for everything that should be included before anything gets signed.

 

[remarquian]

Oh, I stripped it of all the accessories it came with: the winter mats, the emergency inflation kit and the mega rear cargo floor mat. I figured they wouldn't give me any more for those, so I might as well take them since they are useful to me.

didn't get the locking lug nuts tho.

 

[BoltyMcBoltFace]

When the lease was up on my 2014 Spark EV they specifically checked that the EVSE was present and accounted for. If it wasn't I was going to be on the hook for a replacement. But that's a lease and not a trade-in. With a trade-in or any used vehicle sale (except maybe CPO), it's sold as-is and it's up to the buyer to verify vehicle condition. If they expect the EVSE to be there, they should check before the sale or put it in the sale contract.

That said, if I were buying a used EV, I'd expect the EVSE to be there and in working condition, and if I were selling I'd include it. People looking at a used EV as a low-cost commuter are probably the most likely to live with the included cord and not pony up for 240-volt unit.

 

[theothertom]

AFAIK, all new EV's come with a L1 EVSE. It's part of the car, like a tire jack and spare tire used to be. If I bought a used EV, I would expect it to be there or require the dealer to supply it at no extra charge.

 

[BoltEV]

At the expiration of a lease, the evse must also be returned or its cost will be added to the final bill.

Better to just find a discounted used replacement and supply that, if you want to keep the original.

 

[sparkyps]

If you own the car and are selling it to the dealer (or trading it in) the dealer offers you a price for the car as is, no expectation that you will cough up anything that wasn't in the car at the time the dealer checked it out. That includes jackes, floor mats, spare tires, owner manuals, and EVSEs. That they are used to gas cars and may not realize a new owner might want the EVSE isn't your problem.. If it isn't in the car they shouldn't expect it to show up after the sale.

If you are returning a leased vehicle you are required to return all the equipment that came with the vehicle when you leased it, you don't own the EVSE so you can't sell it and expect to not get dinged for not returning it.

 

[powersurge]

I can see removing some add-ons that you put in, like replacing your OEM radio and pulling out your expensive aftermarket radio, or taking off the towing hitch..

But I think it is low to strip the car or its original equipment just to make a few bucks.

It's like stripping grandpa and selling his clothes before he goes to the nursing home...