Globally, Battery-Electric and Plug-In Hybrid vehicle sales climbed 21% in July, according to Reuters. According to the US Dept of Energy, the cost of batteries for electric vehicles dropped 90% between 2008 to 2023. Goldman Sachs is predicting that prices for electric vehicle batteries are expected to drop an additional 20% in 2025 and that EVs could cost about the same as ICE vehicles as early as 2025.
As with any new technology, “Bridging the Gap” from early adopters to early majority can be a challenge and, in my opinion, we are there now with EVs. What are buyers’ biggest roadblocks and how can AI help?
Below are the top eight concerns potential EV buyers have:
- Range Anxiety
- Charging Infrastructure
- Upfront Cost
- Battery Life and Replacement Costs
- Charging Time
- Resale Value
- Environmental Impact of Battery Production
- Limited Model Availability
Most would agree these are the top concerns, but how in the world can AI help?
People who are interested in EVs probably have access to the Internet and will head there first to see what people are saying about these topics. Engaging with a Dealership and/or a car salesperson is probably NOT where a “early majority” buyer will go first.
But what if you had an AI Assistant called “Just the facts” that was deemed trustworthy, that could alleviate some of the buyers concerns?
First of all, AI Assistants are not people, they don’t have feelings, and they won’t judge you if you ask a “dumb question.” People don’t necessarily trust AIs, but they don’t work on commission. 😊 How could this possibly work?
Let’s say I’m an early majority buyer and I’m interested in purchasing an EV. The biggest concern I have is Charging Infrastructure. Perhaps I’ve heard horror stories about people not being able to find a charging station where they needed one. Maybe I’m wondering about what will happen if I run out of battery while driving in a remote location. I mean, is there AAA towing for EVs???
It’s possible to train an AI on all of these concerning topics. It could be trained on how the topic has evolved over time. For example, the Tesla super-chargers used to be 100% locked down to Tesla owners but now, Tesla is building partnerships. In other cases, the AI could talk about partnerships in the works between EV manufacturers and a major coffee shop chain where you could completely charge your EV in just the amount of time it takes to order and receive a specialty coffee drink and a sandwich.
The AI could be trained on the other concerning topics as well and could “ingest” proprietary, non-public data that would set your organization apart from all the others. And at the end of the conversation, or at any point in time, the potential buyers could move on to speak with a real person to move to the next step.
This all can be done – and it can be done now. However, it’s critical to do it right. The AI has to be fine-tuned to be 100% helpful, 100% accurate, 100% of the time.
Sound interesting? Let me know! Thanks for reading.
Carolyn Peer
CEO/Co-founder, Humaxa
carolyn.peer@humaxa.com
