Earlier this year, we discovered that the UK electric car market is lagging some 40% behind its European neighbours. You may not believe it, but It’s true. The UK, it seems, is more reluctant than any other European nation to adopt EVs.
As an agency wholeheartedly committed to the future growth and prosperity of the automotive industry, we decided this had to change.
So we conducted an extensive piece of consumer research over the summer months of 2019. We wanted to find out why sales of EVs were slow, what barriers exist for the consumer and crucially, what automotive brands can do to combat this decline.
Findings in hand, we launched the research at an exclusive panel event chaired by our CEO Matt Franey, and invited a number of brands, clients and press along too.
Hosted at London’s Century Club in early October, the panel was designed to represent the automotive industry in microcosm and featured legendary car designer, Ian Callum; former F1 Engineer, Rob Smedley; Aston Martin’s Chief Planning Officer, Nikki Rimmington and Simon Clare, Executive Director of Global Marketing at our client Lotus.
Here are 5 of the most interesting things we learned from their discussion:
Education is key
The panel unanimously echoed the key finding of the report: when it comes to plugging the gaps in EV sales figures, education is key to purchase consideration.
“Fundamentally, it’s about educating people on the entire EV package” explained Ian Callum. “I think there’s a fear at dealer level, and they don’t fully understand the technology and as a result feel uncomfortable trying to sell it.”
Lotus’s Simon Clare also added that striking the correct balance between messaging and education was vital when it comes to marketing—“there are so many benefits to EV technology, so we must focus on them first.”
Meanwhile Nikki Rimmington compounded this argument by adding that informative content from car manufacturers, while vital, would only go some of the way towards converting consumers. “What people really need in order to be convinced of the benefits of EV technology is experience behind the wheel.”
Electric cars perform better than ICE
Many consumers and media alike continue to argue that from a performance perspective, EVs can’t match ICE vehicles.
Former Williams and Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley proved them wrong.
“For racing applications, and with continued development, neither hybrid or ICE powertrains will match the efficiency and performance capabilities of electric” he explained.
Lotus—who have just launched the Evija, the world’s first all electric hypercar—has opted to use multiple motors to achieve what seems to be a new benchmark in performance.
“I have some experience in this field too actually…” said Rob. “We were testing the viability of using electric motors in motor sport and fitted a standard Nissan Leaf with four motors, one in each wheel. It quickly became clear that this set-up would prove to be more efficient both on straights and corners. In actual fact, our stock Nissan Leaf, applied like this, would be able to outperform a WRC rally car!
Focus on the customer
When it comes to developing and selling the EVs of the future, the panel suggested that a focus on meeting and adapting to changing customer needs was “key to survival.”
“It’s got to be a great car in its own right. The fact it’s electric is a bonus” said Ian Callum.
While Nikki Rimmington added that automotive brands “have to constantly ask: who is the customer we’re focusing on?
“If the established car makers want to survive this revolution, we have to look to the future, to the younger generation. By 2050, cities will be even more congested, and sharing may be a great solution to the problem. Companies such as ZipCar for example, are already moving upmarket. The landscape will change, perceptions will change.”
Technology companies have a lot to learn
One of the most surprising findings of the Electric Is Now report was that the overwhelming majority of UK consumers believe that technology brands such as Apple, are seen to be better positioned to produce EVs than almost any automotive manufacturer.
When asked whether he thought this was indeed the case, Ian Callum cast aspersions on the claims, quipping that “you wouldn’t throw an iPhone at a wall at 30mph and expect it to survive.”
He went on to explain that when it comes to the design and manufacture of EVs, “without a doubt, the biggest challenge for a tech brand is getting the dynamics right.”
There’s no doubt that technology is a big part of what makes a modern car great, and connectivity in particular will only become more important for car buyers, but the car industry has several generations of experience in this department, he explained.
“Many drivers, especially younger ones, are totally unaware of the forces at play and the amount of work that goes into making a car driveable…Technology companies will soon learn that getting the dynamics of a car right, are a very big challenge.”
Pressure breeds innovation
When it comes to sustainability and the environment, the tide of consumer opinion is turning and with it exciting change is coming. The panel rounded off the discussion by suggesting that this kind of political and societal pressure would only increase innovation in the EV space.
Nikki Rimmington offered up the Chinese market as an example, attributing the explosion of EV innovation in that market to the fact that creating cleaner air is a very real and very urgent challenge for most Chinese cities.
Ian Callum meanwhile, tackled an audience question on what happens to discarded EV batteries as the technology continues to evolve by suggesting that they can be recycled as storage elements for wind and solar energy.
He explained that due to the competitive nature of the industry, “car brands keep their ideas very close to their chests, especially with ideas surrounding battery sustainability or battery technology” but that doesn’t mean that the thinking and most importantly the innovation, isn’t already happening behind closed doors.
“Bit by bit all these issues will be resolved and the biggest revolution in the industry will take place.”
For the panel, the audience, and particularly for us at Foxtrot Papa, there’s never been a more exciting time to be working in the automotive industry,