Executive View: We need to talk about EV advocacy

Keyloop's Jacqui Barker shares her thoughts on how, with new entrants to the market and the ZEV mandate, retailers must embrace electrification, advocate, and educate on the perks of driving electric.

I’m not an eco-warrior, by any means but I’d like to think I do my bit for the planet where possible.

With only 1.4 million fully electric cars in the UK, that’s only just over 4% of current cars on the road (according to Zapmap) it’s high time we started talking more about electrification. In particular, it feels that we need to open a wider conversation on how we can support consumers in making greener, more sustainable choices that could be lighter on their wallet.

It’s no secret in our industry that there’s a barrage of misinformation in the media, with naysayers and negative stories about EVs. That means that in recent years, the growth of the EV market hasn’t been quite what we anticipated.

But now, with new entrants to the market and the ZEV mandate, retailers must embrace electrification, advocate, and educate on the perks of driving an electric or hybrid vehicle.

Enhancing the EV experience

As we know, with customer experience, the devil is in the detail.

I recently bought a hybrid and was so excited to drive it out of the showroom on battery power for the first time. While the dealer drove with me to fill it up with fuel after the big ‘tadaaaa’-style reveal (top marks there), I soon found upon driving it away, that they hadn’t plugged it in, so the battery had no charge.

Obviously, I won’t name and shame, and generally, the experience was good, but in terms of drumming up the justified excitement about electrification, through a very low-effort detail, it fell sadly short as a consumer journey.

It feels that there could be so many quick wins to help us reverse the key objections that consumers have around EV adoption.

Here are just a few ideas and opportunities, many of which I explored recently with the lovely Charlie Cook, founder of RightCharge in the recent Keyloop DriveTime podcast - if you haven’t heard about it yet, where have you been!?.

Supporting consumers in a cost-of-living crisis

Granted, we’re in the business of selling hugely high-ticket commodities. However, there are things we could be doing that could help guide the consumer into better, smarter, more sustainable choices, and the industry has a long way to go here.

The energy price cap rise for example, could present a huge opportunity for retailers as people begin to actively shop around and compare the best energy rates. Benefitting from a lower night-time rate could be the difference between someone choosing another combustion engine vehicle or opting for an EV. Charging an EV overnight at home using off-peak tariffs, for example, typically costs between £5 and £20.

In our recent podcast, Charlie outlined how people can now connect their at-home tariff when they’re out and about, using public charge points. I converted to Octopus a while ago and feel super comfortable to explore their ‘Octoverse’.

This could result in significant savings for the EV driver, and that is exactly the type of information we need when educating the consumer on the advantages of EV adoption. It’s about busting the myths and working out how we can be more informed to help consumers.

A new generation of appy customers

It’s true, historically EV drivers have had to navigate a number of different apps to get the most out of the infrastructure. But as time goes on there’s a democratisation taking place. Fewer apps mean less confusion.

I also follow the work of Sara Sloman, CSO at Paythru and director of the EV Café and she talks a lot about the way consumers have to pay for charging and how the tech is evolving. One innovation that has changed the game is the ability to pay via an app (vs getting out of the car in the rain, to pay at pump). 

Again, it’s a small detail that adds huge convenience for the car owner. And with ongoing innovations in this vein, in essence, eventually, the car itself will be the wallet.  

Let’s erase misinformation on infrastructure

Before consumers inevitably turn to AI to answer their questions, which could once again present them with loads of misinformation, retailers need to seize the opportunity to guide their customers as a source of authority in the EV space.  

When they arrive on the showroom floor it’s important to have some simple and standardised data around the general costs of charging that you feel confident talking about. That means your entire team being fully prepared for questions like; how much will it really cost to charge overnight on the cheapest tariffs?

Another common objection or point of reticence from consumers is a fear that the car will run out of charge and they’ll be left stranded. In fact, according to AA roadside callout data; running out of charge is reducing. In 2024, only 1.85% of all EV breakdowns were due to running out of charge compared to approximately 1% of ICE vehicles running out of fuel.

It’s much easier to find public chargers long before you run out of charge, with apps such as Zapmap showcasing the rate of infrastructure growth in just the last few years. With 75,000 deployed charge points, we are well on track to reach 300,000 by 2030.

How we can embrace the era of EV advocacy

According to the Global Electric Vehicle Alliance, less than 1% of EV drivers would go back to traditional fuel vehicles. Let’s face it, that’s brilliant for the planet, and it’s brilliant for your bottom line.

As manufacturers, such as Ford are leading the way in incentivising adoption by giving EV customers their own home charger in partnership with Octopus Energy, free of charge, we’re seeing the industry make changes to improve the uptake of EVs.

Likewise-options such as extended test-drives, where customers truly get to experience the EV ownership journey, could change the game. 

With the ZEV mandate looming and a number of low-hanging-fruit opportunities presenting themselves, it’s about time we all embrace the era of EV advocacy.