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The slowdown of electric vehicle adoption in the U.S. has been well-documented, if somewhat overstated, as the number of EVs sold annually surpassed 1 million units for the first time last year. Also well-documented are the causes of this slowdown, including the usual suspects of charging infrastructure, upfront vehicle cost, range anxiety, and general consumer skepticism mostly borne out of bias toward Tesla and its owners (or its founder and CEO, for that matter).
A recent report from McKinsey caused waves when a survey revealed that 46% of current EV owners in the U.S. would consider going back to an internal combustion engine vehicle for their next purchase, with most respondents citing a lack of public charging infrastructure as their primary reason. In stark contrast, only 18% of Norwegians were considering reverting to an ICE vehicle, likely because the country has installed fast-charging stations in 50-kilometer increments on all its main roads.
Hidden just beneath the surface are other culprits for the slowdown in adoption. Green Car Reports smartly pointed out that while Gen X and millennial consumers are the most interested in buying electric vehicles, the boomer and silent generations dominate Congress and thus federal policy, revealing a generational disconnect between those that have the legislative power to increase mass adoption and those that will drive the change on the ground. With the 2024 election season in full swing, high-ranking government officials including Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer have opined that the highly charged political environment is affecting EV adoption as well.
But what about current EV owners who are happy with their purchase? Are there lessons learned from the early adopters that we can leverage as marketers to increase the appeal of EVs to the mass market? There are several factors that current EV owners cite as key to their loyalty, and all should be considered by auto marketers as they build their next media plan.
Long-term benefits of ownership
J.D. Power and PlugShare’s Electric Vehicle Ownership Experience (EVX) study revealed that cost of ownership has emerged as a top factor influencing ownership satisfaction. According to a 2023 Consumer Reports study, a typical U.S. driver can expect to save $6,000 to $12,000 over the lifetime of an EV compared to owning a similar gas-powered vehicle, which includes spending 60% less to power the EV and half as much to repair and maintain it.
Adding a Vehicle Cost Calculator similar to the one built by the U.S. Department of Energy is helpful to add to video ad units to give consumers a point of reference when comparing their EV investment to an ICE vehicle.
Quality
As adoption moves from the early adopters to the “early majority” consumers, higher expectations of initial quality and less patience with software bugs and recalls are hallmarks of the new group of shoppers auto brands will need to persuade. This is where content marketing can make an impact, specifically third-party expert content.
According to a well-cited study from Nielsen, expert content saw the highest increase in every part of the purchasing cycle (product familiarity, affinity, and intent to purchase) when compared to user-generated and branded content. Expert content related to quality scores, technology and safety features, and interior/exterior design will go a long way to help these skeptical consumers compare EV quality to the more familiar gas-powered options.
Driving enjoyment
It’s sometimes easy to forget that driving should also be an enjoyable experience! Low-hanging fruit for marketing activations would be including copy related to HOV access for EVs in dense cities such as Los Angeles or New York.
For performance-oriented drivers, EVs offer 100% torque availability at 0 RPM, meaning they accelerate much more quickly from a dead stop than their ICE counterparts. DriveClean.ca.gov adds, “Electric cars also have great handling. With the battery pack positioned in the center of most electric cars, it lowers the vehicle’s center of gravity, providing superior weight distribution and stability, and improved cornering that minimizes rollover risk.”
Video is the best marketing tool to illustrate all of these benefits, with the sight, sound, and motion playing out best on the big screen of CTV.
Another instructive way to inform future EV mass market efforts is to understand what information EV shoppers are looking for but have difficulty finding during their shopping journey. According to a 2022 survey from nonprofit Plug In America, shoppers had difficulty locating information on cold weather performance (if EVs work in Norway, they should be good in New York!), battery lifecycle, incentives or rebates, range estimates, and public charging options.
The electrification of transportation promises to be the most exciting transition that many of us will see during our lifetimes. The brands that rewrite the history books will be the ones most in tune with what’s working, what’s needed, and how to make the next wave of adoption accessible to the masses.
