As part of Volkswagen’s campaign to highlight features and benefits of driving electric, this week the company released a series of videos expressing the message “Before it can change the world, it has to change yours.”
The intention of the campaign is to deemphasize important yet amorphous benefits such as reducing carbon emissions and other tailpipe pollution, and instead highlight specific and tangible benefits and differences that EVs can bring to drivers’ personal lives. These include:
- Superior handling and acceleration;
- Enjoying nature without the roar of an engine;
- Never being late due to having to stop at the gas station because EV drivers always leave home fully charged; and
- A slew of technological advances that make life just a little more convenient.
While the videos emphasize the small joys of driving electric, there are references to global benefits that occur with essentially no effort. In one scene, for example, an EV owner states “Before, you had to be awake to make a difference,” as he goes to bed and the video switches to a shot of his car charging overnight.
What the owner is referring to is that EVs can provide economic and environmental benefits to society by charging at night. The reasons, which are too complex for a 30-second ad, vary; one reason could be that the vehicle is charging overnight from clean energy stored in stationary batteries in the driver’s home that charged up during the day from on-site solar power.
Another scenario is that the vehicle is charging from the grid overnight rather than during the day. Shifting usage to overnight hours provides benefits to others because this usage pattern increases utilization of power generation resources as well as the distribution grid; at scale, this puts downward pressure on prices for all consumers. EVs can also benefit the grid by consuming energy during the day when solar power is peaking, although this is an additional benefit not specifically mentioned in the videos.
“Our new ID.4 campaign focuses on the incredible potential this vehicle has to make electrification relevant for all – an eSUV that meets everyday needs and is really fun to drive,” said Kimberley Gardiner, senior vice president, Volkswagen brand marketing. “As more people realize the benefits that come with owning the ID.4, the more elements of EV democratization can become reality.”
Volkswagen partnered with creative agency Johannes Leonardo on the three videos released this week, Adventure Lifestyle, Tech Upgrade, and Better for Your Family.
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