Best Buy U.S. Testing Electric Vehicles Already on Sale in U.K. Store

Best Buy is experimenting with sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. as part of its broader environmental efforts, a spokeswoman told us Friday. Earlier in the day, Best Buy U.K. announced it would sell and showcase electric vehicles along with green CE products in special “GreenTech” areas of its stores there.

Best Buy’s first U.K. store is slated to open Friday in Thurrock, Essex, outside London. The GreenTech area there will feature “everything from energy management products to solar chargers and even electric vehicles -- a first for any U.K. consumer electronics retailer,” Best Buy said. It will sell electric bicycles, scooters and motorcycles directly. It also will demonstrate and refer orders for the four-wheel, 86,950 pounds ($133,000) Tesla Roadster and unpriced Citroën C1 ev''ie. Parking lots at all the stores “will have electric charging points so customers can power-up for free while they browse,” Best Buy U.K. said. It plans to open four more stores there this year, two in June, one shortly after and one in fall.

Best Buy is experimenting with sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. as part of its broader environmental efforts, a spokeswoman said. Earlier in the day, Best Buy U.K. announced it would sell and showcase electric vehicles along with green CE products in special “GreenTech” areas of its stores there. The U.K. GreenTech areas also will sell a wide selection of green CE and home energy products, including solar chargers for phones and notebook PCs, energy saving plugs and adaptors, and electricity monitors. Also in the area, “Specially trained Blueshirts will be able to offer expert advice to help customers begin to live more energy-efficient lives,” the chain said.

In the U.S., Best Buy has been testing sales of electric bicycles, scooters and one motorcycle, its spokeswoman said. The experiments began in select West Coast stores and recently were expanded to the East Coast, with locations and products selected according to the markets. “These are small steps. We're just seeing where the technology is going next, gauging consumer interest and need, and seeing if they have expectations from us in this area,” she said.

Best Buy also is testing dedicated areas for green CE products in some U.S. stores, the spokeswoman said. “We're experimenting with the concept. Again, we're just trying to gauge consumer need.” Meanwhile, chain-wide in the U.S., “We're 100 percent up and running and dedicated to our recycling program,” the spokeswoman said.