ABM_1 - Flipbook - Page 8
ROUND-TABLE
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
always be primary.
“It's unfortunately also
upfront price, because people
don't understand total cost of
ownership [TCO],” he explains.
“Our biggest group of
customers are people who
want to go EV, probably more
originally because of the
sustainability – they want to do
the right thing and they have a
bit more money, but they have
no idea about the tech.
“We spend a lot of time
educating them and providing a
high level of customer support.
An electric vehicle, it's all new in
comparison to the nice, logical
feel of their previous car.”
Upfront price parity is still
important, then; no matter
the more emotive elements or
environmental impact, people
will still wonder why they should
pay more. While discussing the
TCO is an important aspect
of helping to explain the price
differentials, it risks being too
abstract at the point of sale.
Some of this issue is being
solved purely through the
progress of the market.
Wilbraham explains that “price
parity is getting closer and the
charging infrastructure is there,”
which is removing some of
these barriers.
8
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS Q4 2025
Driving with
confidence
Standardised, transparent
battery health and practical,
localised data are essential.
No matter how emotive a
brand’s storyline, or how much a
buyer can see a car fitting into
their individual lifestyle, if there
are concerns about the ability
to use the vehicle, this will be a
block, particularly for business
customers, for whom every
delay is a loss of profits.
For Wilbraham, storytelling
and verbal reassurance only
goes so far. He calls for battery
health to be included in the
MOT, alongside tyre treads and
brakes, and for standardisation
across the market.
Oliver Phillpott, CEO and
co-founder of Generational,
which tests the state of battery
health in EVs, says: “One of
our customers recently had
someone drive from Cumbria
down to Suffolk – about 300
miles – just to buy a car
with one of our certificates,
because they knew that it had a
good battery.
“Clearly, this is a compelling
narrative for a segment of
people. It can generate emotion.
Something we think long and
hard about is how we present
this in the right way and make
it digestible to people, so that
we can offer that reassurance
and trust.”
There is often scepticism
among consumers when a
party with a vested interest in
a sale reassures them as to the
quality of the product. Working
with an independent thirdparty celebrates transparency
and proof, particularly when
pitching to businesses and
less enthusiastic adopters.
In addition, providing blackand-white certification of the
specific vehicle, not just the
model, is key.
There is, of course, a time and
place for splashy headlines,
such as Polestar 3 setting the
Guinness World Record for the
longest distance travelled on
a single charge. Nevertheless,
just as consumers need to
understand how a car fits
into their individual lifestyle –
whether surfing or the school
run – they also need the data to
fit their reality.
Sjöberg suggests that
when selling or pitching EVs,
“you could get a list of all the
charging stations close to
where the buyer lives pretty
easily through Google Maps
and include that in the package
when you're communicating
with them.”
Lucia Revell, senior marketing
manager at Monta, says: “It’s
about positive storytelling
through data. With charging
software, it's all about
infrastructure and charging
experience. We want to
do positive reinforcement
about people having a good
experience on the road.
“The longer we go on the
journey of electrification, the
more data and positive stories
we have. I'm under no illusion
that the charging infrastructure
is entirely there, but year-
