Texas-based Freedom Solar said it has contracted with Boggus Auto Group to install solar arrays at its three Rio Grande Valley dealerships — Boggus Ford-McAllen, Boggus Lincoln-McAllen and Boggus Ford-Harlingen.
“The Boggus Auto Group has long been the leading dealer in the Rio Grande Valley and is highly respected for its professionalism, integrity and exceptional customer service,” said Freedom Solar CEO Bret Biggart. “Now, the Boggus family is setting a new standard among South Texas automotive dealerships by investing in on-site power generation. Freedom Solar is proud to partner with them in making their business more energy-efficient and sustainable.”
Freedom installed a solar array capable of producing 499.95 kW of on-site power at Boggus Ford- Harlingen, capable of offsetting 61% of the dealership’s energy costs. The Boggus Ford-McAllen system will produce 443.52 kW, offsetting 62% of its energy costs, and the 154.4-kW installation at Boggus Lincoln-McAllen will offset approximately 54% of the dealership’s energy expense.
Freedom Solar is specifically targeting the automotive industry, reaching out to dealers nationwide to advise them on the tremendous positive impacts solar can have on their businesses.
Boggus said several factors played into the decision to move forward with the conversion to on-site power generation at its dealerships: lucrative financial local and federal incentives, the testimony of dealers in other parts of the state who have already transitioned, and the fact that each of Boggus’ three dealerships has ample roof area to accommodate solar arrays powerful enough to offset a large percentage of their energy costs.
Many of the dealerships Freedom has worked with are early movers of electric vehicles, and that is certainly true of Boggus Auto Group, which is bullish about EV technology and Ford’s embracing it. They view solar as part of their EV infrastructure and have transitioned to a new paradigm in which it no longer makes sense to get all their electricity from the grid — especially when charging their inventories of new electric Fords like the Mustang MACH E and the 2022 F-150 Lightning. On-site power generation puts dealerships’ expansive rooftops to work for them.
