EVs. It’s all coming together nicely.

Ok I’ll admit it. I’ve quietly had my reservations on electrification. There’s no denying I’ve enjoyed our family plug-in hybrid over the last 7 years. It’s served its purpose brilliantly. And I’ve become a real fan of the smooth, torquey delivery of an electric powertrain in that time. But other EV stuff like awareness, education, costs, weight, choice, innovation, infrastructure I’ve been somewhat less convinced about. I’ve always LOVED all things automotive; it’s always been a passion. But of late I’ve felt my passion for the sector has been under threat. It seemed like it had become less fun.

Given my age, I’ve always been a petrolhead. Heritage, design, culture and engineering. The smells, the noise, the visual feast. What’s not to like? I love old and interesting cars. They’re inspirational to me. So, I’ve been finding the market’s current obsession with bland, overweight, look-a-like SUVs rather tiresome. And politicians meddling in my hobby and my livelihood? It’s a concern and it’s not fun.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when myself and my colleague Mike Darvill from We Are Acuity attended FullyCharged.SHOW & FullyCharged.LIVE last Friday at Farnborough International and found myself getting enthused, excited and passionate about the sheer scale and speed of developments in electrification in just the last six months. New brands and models are emerging thick and fast now, there’s colour, imagination and dare I say fun reappearing. New players are breaking unwritten rules, they are doing things differently and offering something different. It inspired me and made me feel positive about an electric future. Thank you BYD EUROPE for the Dolphin, GWM ORA UK for the Funky Cat, Subaru Europe for the Solterra, MG Motor UK Ltd for the 4, Hyundai Motor UK for the Ioniq 6, Kia UK Limited for the EV9, Genesis for the GV60, Polestar for the 3, Jeep for the Avenger, Group Lotus for the Eletre, Fisker Inc for the Ocean and smart Automobile for the #1.

And even more good electric news came at the end of last week as 20 of the UK’s leading electric car chargepoint providers (including GRIDSERVE Sustainable Energy Limited, bp pulse, IONITY and Pod Point) teamed up to form a brand new trade body ‘ChargeUK’ to work with Government in getting to 2030.

They’ve pledged to double the number of public chargers in the UK by the end of 2023 funded from a £6 billion private investment pot. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) there are now over a million electric vehicles on UK roads so charging infrastructure is becoming ever more important.

I’m now more convinced. It’s coming. The choice, the affordability, the range, the infrastructure and the fun!

If you work within automotive, be it a retailer or at brand level, we’d love to understand your view and talk to you about the future of auto retailing. Why not schedule a FREE 30-minute assessment today here? It will be well worth your time.

Or alternatively read more about Local Marketing on our blog page "Local Thinking': https://www.weareacuity.com/local-thinking-our-blog

#electricvehicles #marketing #automotive