Moxie launches unique all-electric car dealership in North Liberty

Dick Hakes

Special to the Press-Citizen

The first all-electric used vehicle dealership in the region — and possibly the state — is now open for business in North Liberty.

VERV Auto Sales, located in the Moxie Solar building on Highway 965, has a dozen electric vehicles on hand at present. Owner Jason Hall hopes to grow the inventory to 50-plus as the dealership gets on its feet this year.

VERV CEO and owner Jason Hall jokes with his two employees Tessa Meyer (left) and Leah Furnish next to the premier vehicle in their current used electric car inventory – a sleek, black 2018 Tesla Model S. The owner says the dealership is a logical spin-off from his Moxie Solar company in North Liberty.

“Everybody knows what’s happening with electric cars,” says Hall. “But there are lots of choices which can be confusing to people. We want to take the mystery out of it and give people the confidence to make the choice that works for them.”

Hall says VERV will offer vehicles in three different categories.

For example, the all-electric Chevrolet Spark and Nissan Leaf will be in the low-range, low-cost category. These will cruise about 80 miles per charge and are considered a daily driver or commuter vehicle. Used models offered will mostly be in the $5,000 to $10,000 price range, Hall said.

Plug-in hybrid models will be in the $30,000 range, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander, Chrysler Pacifica and Ford C-Max Energi. Their range is unlimited, since it offers a 30-mile battery range supplemented by a gas engine.

At the top of the inventory is the all-electric Tesla at $50,000 and up, with a range of about 200 miles. Teslas are offered in three models labeled 3, S and X.

“We have one Tesla on hand now which is a 2018 Model S,” said Hall. He explained some of its high-tech features, such as a self-driving mode and “summoning,” which allows the owner to command the car to drive on its own to where he or she is located if both are on private property.

“But 95 percent of our buyers are going to want something less,” he said. “We won’t stock too many Teslas, since it is pretty hard to start out a business like this carrying $70,000 cars.”

Besides Hall, the new business will be operated with two other full-time employees to start. Leah Furnish is executive vice president and will have an administrative role, including riding herd on a heavily-regulated industry.

Tessa Meyer is in charge of securing vehicles and will advise customers on their specific features. VERV purchases cars for resale from owners, dealers and auction sites.

“A lot of our fleet comes from California, because they are about five years ahead of the rest of the country in this field,” said Hall. “But we’re getting more and more from Iowa and the Midwest.”

Although none of the three employees has worked in the car business before, Hall has a track record of success as founder and owner of Moxie Solar. He started the firm in his garage in 2008 and has grown it into a 150-employee venture doing business in eight states.

“Last year, I started thinking electric cars would be a good fit because everything we do is energy-based,” he said. Solar collectors on roofs were becoming more efficient, so he reasoned his customers might be inclined to use extra power to charge electric cars.

Two electric-vehicle charging stations can be seen on the wall of the Moxie Solar building, home of the new VERV dealership in North Liberty. Moxie employees are said to be test-driving electric vehicles for VERV.

“We have about 1,500 solar customers who like to save money and have a green view of the environment,” he said. “We’ll be marketing VERV to them first. But like solar, people need to understand the electric vehicle technology before they get into it.”

If the business grows, Hall would like to see it eventually expand into the states were Moxie has a presence. He anticipates that later this year the firm will expand within the Moxie building in North Liberty and may eventually relocate to a larger facility here.

Furnish stated that the business received its state license in late December. A ribbon-cutting event is planned by the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce for 4-6 p.m. on Feb. 11 at the VERV dealership.

Both she and Meyer are enthusiastic about the new venture.

“It’s a delight to take people on a test drive,” said Furnish. “The cars are so quiet and smooth. People are dumbfounded.”

The VERV name, the owner said, is a play on the word “verve” which, like “moxie” indicates a forceful vitality of character or spirit.

Hall is originally from Elkader and has a finance degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He was a bank president prior to starting Moxie. He and his wife, Jenn, live in North Liberty with their three daughters.