While many electric vehicle owners will find it irritating and annoying to be hit with adverts when charging their vehicles, is this a sign of the times? The fact that many larger companies are willing and prepared to pay for advertising space on “free” charging devices seems to indicate that the marketing industry believes the sector is here to stay. So, will advertising be a help or a hindrance to the industry going forward?
Until the electric vehicle industry cracks the “mass market” it is vital that the cost of services and products is kept as low as possible. There will come a point when costs will have to rise, services will be chargeable and the whole dynamic will be very different than what we see today but, in the meantime, is advertising on “free” charging stations really a hindrance?
While many electric vehicle owners will find it irritating and annoying to be hit with adverts when charging their vehicles, is this a sign of the times? The fact that many larger companies are willing and prepared to pay for advertising space on “free” charging devices seems to indicate that the marketing industry believes the sector is here to stay. So, will advertising be a help or a hindrance to the industry going forward?
Until the electric vehicle industry cracks the “mass market” it is vital that the cost of services and products is kept as low as possible. There will come a point when costs will have to rise, services will be chargeable and the whole dynamic will be very different than what we see today but, in the meantime, is advertising on “free” charging stations really a hindrance?
The reality is that we are hit with advertising everywhere we look and everywhere we go. Some of the advertising and marketing are subtle, so of it is blatant but we are influenced by what we see in front of this even if it is only subliminally. So, it makes sense for the electric vehicle industry to maximise marketing income as a means of subsidising the “real cost” of charging stations.
If we look back 20 years ago the electric vehicle industry was literally friendless with many manufacturers shunning the sector. There was little or no appetite from the general public, governments paid lip service and even the most successful electric vehicle of its time was very quickly withdrawn attracting much controversy. If we fast forward to today the situation is very different, governments have put their hands in their pockets, consumers have found an appetite and new technology makes the modern-day electric vehicle indistinguishable from that of 20 years ago.
EV charging station image via Shutterstock.
Read more at ENN Affiliate Electric Forum.
