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Table of Contents
Gentlemen, start your motors P2 October 2011 P4 How it all started P5 A new approach to car retailing P9 Right people, right places P13 A remarkable community P16 Spreading the word P17 The power of storytelling P25 Accolades P28 Introducing the concept of Verbal Identity P31 Taking the high and highly visible ground P34 Polarising opinion P36 The bully in the playground P38 What the media said P42 G-Wiz customers have their say P50 The future P54 Appendix: A brief history of electric vehicles P57 The truth about electric vehicles: - The emissions debate P60 -Why we need electric vehicles P62 The people behind the brand P67 Final thoughts P70
Keith has given us a unique insight into the creation of an iconic brand which became a household name in record time. What is particularly pleasing is that unlike some others, this was no accident or even timing bubble, it was very well thought through, planned and executed. Not many can claim to have earned a whole chapter in the future text books of their chosen profession. Keith Johnston, his backers and the whole G-Wiz team have done just that and a great deal more. Iain Sanderson, founder and chairman, Lightning Electric car Company.
GoinGreen redefined the concept of investing in a car. These guys have put their heart and soul into these cars. In everything they write and every interaction they have, their passion oozes out. It's a tough challenge to move several billion mindsets and get us thinking seriously about our combined impact on the world. Faced with a car market that is dominated by massive dinosaurs, who would have thought a few guys banding together with no marketing budget, a revolutionary approach to sales and a product that ignores everyone who says it's too hard and IS 100% carbon neutral would stand a chance? Bravo. Olivier Blanchard, thebrandbuilder.blogspot.com. 1
two dozen accolades starting with Business of the Year at the T Mobile Startups Awards. Distributors in more than twenty countries tried to emulate the success of the G-Wiz but struggled to sell more than a few dozen vehicles in most of these countries. The notable exceptions are India, where the vehicle is promoted by the manufacturer under its eponymous brand name Reva, and Norway, which like the UK leads the way in Europe for interest in EVs. How did we do it? The G-Wiz succeeded because GoinGreen adopted a low cost operating model, because everyone at the company passionately lived and breathed the cause, and because of the way the G-Wiz was marketed. We thought long and hard about the business and what might work for us. We challenged the idea of cars as symbols of freedom and uninterrupted mobility with no consequences. We created the first online-only car retailer. We tapped into the trend for digitally empowered consumers seeking to be more socially responsible. Without any advertising, showrooms or salespeople and by focusing exclusively on PR, word-of-mouth and digital communities we explained the inconvenient truth about our addiction to cars fuelled by oil. We faced opposition from many quarters, including the ire of an industry wedded to petroleum and joined by some media commentators, such as Top Gears Jeremy Clarkson, who like many in the car business simply could not understand why anyone would buy such a vehicle. Or more correctly, buy into such an idea. All you have to do however, is tell the tale. 3
October 2011
Today, and every day since 2008, more than 1,000 private motorists have been driving their G-Wiz and demonstrating to millions of fellow Londoners and to the many tourists that electric cars are a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine. Visit any underground car park or walk around one of a number of Londons grand squares and you may well see more G-Wiz than any other make of vehicle often parked one after another. You may not believe me, but within a few years you too will be driving an electric car - and you will enjoy it. Cars powered solely by engines fuelled by petrol or diesel will look as contemporary as your old CD collection, whilst charging your electric car will be as easy as downloading from iTunes. Who would have thought?
drivetrain technology by the time the deal was struck to import the vehicle to the UK. Following a nine-month test period and more than 100 subsequent changes to the original test model, GoinGreen obtained the type approval certification to sell the Reva. Due to a potential conflict with another car previously on sale (the Lada Riva), the Reva was rebadged as the G-Wiz AEV (automatic electric vehicle) for the UK market. (In the twenty plus other markets in which the vehicle was later sold it was marketed as the Reva). In October 2003, the month I joined the business, we placed the first order for ten containers, a total of 40 G-Wiz. Although there were other electric vehicle manufacturers, like Reva Electric Car Company they were relatively small-scale operations. No market had been created, there was no consumer demand, no trade supply from any of the established global manufacturers and no public charging infrastructure. GoinGreen and G-Wiz were new brands and the G-Wiz was one of several similar electric vehicles coming to market at the time. The G-Wiz wasnt very big or very comfortable, it didnt go very fast or very far and like a mobile phone, it needed recharging frequently. In fact as far as cars go, the G-Wiz did not tick any of the usual boxes. It did however have three great features: zero tailpipe emissions, a competitive price compared to other electric cars, and, thanks in part to our efforts and those of our customers (including the lobbying of MPs leading to Early Day Motions and changes in 6
policy), some valuable central and local government motoring concessions. A government grant from the Energy Saving Trusts Powershift programme offered a generous purchase subsidy to encourage the sale of EVs, but this was withdrawn a few weeks after the launch of the G-Wiz. To make matters worse, the Energy Saving Trust announced that the grant would return at the beginning of the following financial year, effectively creating a sales vacuum. When the grant was reintroduced, it was less than half the previous amount and in 2005 it was withdrawn altogether having been deemed illegal under EU rules on state aid. In addition to the chaos caused by the grant situation, it became clear that we needed to relocate our fledgling operation from Leeds to London. London was our chosen market because it was where we thought the early adopters of electric cars would be and where the politicians and civil servants that could influence the EV market lived and worked. It is also where the key media were. In August 2004 we moved the GoinGreen operation to Southall, 12 miles west of central London, near Heathrow airport. The new site had space for unloading the G-Wiz shipping containers, plenty of parking and storage for vehicles, a repair workshop and small office. Southall also has a strong Indian community, perfect for the rotation of Reva engineers stationed with us from Bangalore, who trained our UK engineers and liaised with the factory regarding software patches and other technology upgrades. It was far from the salubrious agency 7
offices that I had been used to previously, but it was ideal for a start-up online business such as ours. From January 2003, under the London Congestion Charge scheme, motorists were charged 5 (today it is 10) per day Monday to Friday, to enter the central London zone. EVs on the other hand were - and still are, although no longer exclusively exempt. I lobbied the London councils with the objective of obtaining incentives for EV owners, such as free parking and free charging for electric vehicles at the large municipal Masterpark car parks, free parking on kerbside meters and eligibility for two GWiz in a single parking bay, both free of charge. Westminster City Council, who are responsible for a large part of central London, deserve special praise for their efforts in pioneering electric vehicles and EV infrastructure and set a great example for other councils to follow. They stand in stark contrast to their neighbour City of London, whose obfuscation and withdrawal of support was equally noteworthy. By the end of 2005 the thousands of pounds worth of incentives for EVs, together with a purchase price of under 10,000 and low running costs meant that we had a powerful financial case for the G-Wiz, whilst the now-you-see-it, now-you-dont grant issue had come to an end. I now needed to build an emotional proposition for the G-Wiz, but first a few words about selling cars without showrooms.
representing the future of retailing. It provided convenience to customers as it simplified purchasing and meant ordering our product was possible day and night. As a consumer I have no fond memories of buying a car in a showroom. The sales techniques are obvious and leave me cold when done poorly. There were no car salesmen at GoinGreen and this was our second point of difference. Prospects booked test drives - available seven days a week - via the website and we offered a choice of convenient central London locations where they were met by one of our test drive team, called co-drivers. The only face-to-face contact during the sales and marketing process was when one of our codrivers conducted a test drive. Co-drivers were mostly environmental science graduates, young men and women who were not trained in selling techniques, but who were knowledgeable and motivated by sustainability and the environment. Harmi Palder, now demonstrator-in-chief has been making prospects smile for nearly eight years and is as enthusiastic now as he was when he joined back in 2004. G-Wiz owners also volunteered as co-drivers, and with a conversion rate better than 1:2 test-drives to sales, this unusual strategy worked well for us. Given that many of the people taking test drives were what we called tourists the technology curious who had no intention of buying this was a remarkable achievement. Everything related to the purchase process could be performed online, with telephone support. All pricing information was available on the website 10
and there were no discounts offered or entertained, except during our own promotional periods. In this respect we followed the online airline model. G-Wiz could be purchased from stock or made to order, depending on what the customer wanted and how patient they were. G-Wiz were configured, service packages selected and orders were placed online, with deposit taken by debit or credit card. We limited the models to a standard and a luxury package, with unlimited colour options and full bodywrap personalisation, which was managed by us here in the UK initially and later by the factory in Bangalore. We invited fashion designers to develop limited edition bodywraps in order to showcase this feature, a tried and tested collaborative technique. I remember the actress Kristin Scott Thomas chose a leopard print G-Wiz, but soon tired of the paparazzi papping her in what was an easy to spot vehicle. Thirdly, all after sales support was available online with telephone support, from product information, warranty and service details to service booking and repairs. We tried to get as close to a paperless operation as possible. We broke the category conventions in other ways too. We could have doubled our sales had we taken a multi-channel approach, but instead we rejected all requests from car dealers around the UK who wished to sell the G-Wiz in their showrooms and we restricted our after sales support to the Greater London area. This was so that we could be close to our customers, understand them and be able to provide our own engineer support, rather than use 11
third parties. This was important given the early nature of the technology and the higher incidence of customer support required. We thought carefully about how we could optimise customer service. Engineers and technicians for electric cars did not exist so we trained up a small team, led by the tireless Derek West, Alex Pierce and Alan Gladwin. The majority of our customers were cash rich and time poor so we introduced mobile servicing: a premium service whereby our engineers attended our customers homes or offices to maintain and service their G-Wiz, as it saved them the inconvenience of bringing their vehicle to our Southall service centre. In 2009 in the US, EV pioneer Tesla announced the Tesla Ranger mobile service team, operated along the same lines. We also introduced an engineer call-out service, a rapid-response chargeable service similar to that provided by a plumber. We also provided a free breakdown recovery service for the first year of ownership. We could not prevent technical glitches but we made every attempt to minimise the customer pain when they occurred. We created a used G-Wiz section on the website, providing a forum for customers to sell their G-Wiz if they were upgrading to a newer version, or perhaps moving out of London. We offered an approved and guaranteed certificate that helped maintain G-Wiz resale values significantly above average according to G-Wiz Owners Club research, the two and three year depreciation of the G-Wiz was the lowest on the market, comfortably beating Mercedes, Audi and Porsche. 12
Right People
We chose for our target market Londons liberal elite; senior professionals and business owners from the arts, media, creative and professional services industries. These were entrepreneurial men and women who were environmentally engaged, lived in central London, had off-street parking (to make possible charging at night), were educated, high income earners, with families, heavy users of digital technology and media and in positions of cultural influence. They represented less than 0.1% market share and we gradually became comfortable with the 13
fact that it did not matter if 99.9% of car buyers rejected our efforts and did not purchase a G-Wiz. My gut feeling, which ran contrary to the thinking of our EV competitors, was that in spite of the rhetoric and exhortations from politicians and the growth of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the innovators and early adopter segments of G-Wiz buyers were more likely to be private motorists than fleets. There were two reasons for this: I believed that environmental issues and choices remained a largely personal matter back in 2004 and that the G-Wiz was ideal as the second, or third car in a family one that could be used everyday as a city runaround or commuter car in Londons congested traffic. It transpired that we had two groups of private customers. The first, and larger, could be categorised as wealthy, green and technology savvy. Typically men and women in their forties and fifties, they wished to contribute towards a better future for their children and saw driving a G-Wiz as a form of personal carbon off-setting for their extensive business travel, polluting first (and often multiple) cars and long haul holidays. They were keen to demonstrate the viability of EVs, gained status from owning green lifestyle products and they wanted to be seen wearing their green badges. They tended to be leaders within their own communities and were exceptional influencers. The second G-Wiz customer segment was a smaller, more price sensitive group. Whilst many were also environmentally engaged and had a desire to show that EVs were a viable alternative to the 14
internal combustion engine, for many the decision to purchase was driven by the financial benefits. Interestingly, for a significant number of these people, the G-Wiz led to, rather than was a result of, their commitment to green issues.
Right Places
We limited our geographical focus to London because, that was where our target audience was concentrated and it ensured that we remained physically close to our customers, offering them a good aftersales service. At the weekends our co-drivers took G-Wiz into central London and parked in Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Westminster and at places like Borough and Camden markets. The cultural context of being seen in the right places (physically as well as in the right media, of which more later) was crucial to our success and something that we were very deliberate about. In the early days for example, we received many invitations to exhibit at green fairs. After attending a few shows and exhibitions, it became apparent that these events tended to attract other small start-up companies selling imported EVs such as electric scooters and bicycles made in China and often of dubious quality and presentation. We decided that this was not the environment in which we wanted to show off the G-Wiz. Instead, we chose gallery openings, charity dinners, film premieres and fashion events, in order to associate the G-Wiz with Londons cultural cutting edge, where our target audience would see it as part of the scenery. 15
A remarkable community
In July 2005 we held a Picnic In The Park in Regents Park, at short notice. Instead of showcasing the vehicle in the conventional manner, we invited all G-Wiz owners to participate in a rally around the perimeter of the park and then celebrate with a picnic. Sally Panter, who looked after customer liaison at GoinGreen had persuaded Camden Council to allow us all to drive onto the grass inside the park for the picnic and had also asked customers who had their own businesses to contribute to the event in terms of food, drink and goodie bags all very homespun. Sally sent out a short email invitation. It was exciting when nearly 70 G-Wiz turned up, representing two thirds of our customer base at the time. The rally got on to the evening TV news and there was a wonderful photograph in The Times newspaper of the 70 G-Wiz all lined up before the event. We felt very proud of our little community and were reminded of its importance in the promotion of electric cars. There is a well known quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead that says Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. I think Margaret Mead would be very proud of the first G-Wiz owners in London.
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that there were both positive and negative comments contained on it. Mike Boxwell is also author of The Electric Car Guide series of books. Here is his perspective: The G-Wiz. Whatever you think of it, there is no doubt that it is the most instantly recognisable vehicle on the road. Tiny, cheeky, full of character and a blast to drive, the G-Wiz is the unashamed antidote to the urban four-wheel drive. Despite its obvious drawbacks, this little vehicle rapidly became the worlds best selling electric car. But what attracted people to it? I wanted to find out more. I took delivery of my G-Wiz in the summer of 2006. Like many families, we had two cars and the G-Wiz became the perfect second vehicle: we used it for our entire city centre driving and loved the reaction it always caused. I was instantly hooked by its charm and its sense of fun. I met other G-Wiz owners at a meeting organised by GoinGreen and found a group of like-minded people who enjoyed life, loved the unconventional and who were not afraid to stand out from the crowd. I set up the G-Wiz Owners Club so that owners could keep in touch, share the fun and learn from each other. Hundreds of owners and would-be owners joined and we ended up with an active group with busy internet forums and occasional meetings. Enthusiasts from around the world were interested and soon the group had an active Italian, Spanish and German-speaking membership. In Germany, there was a large membership despite the fact the car was not officially available in the country 18
at the time. Members either bought their G-Wiz from other countries and imported the vehicle themselves, or created a pressure group to ensure Reva began distribution in Germany, which finally happened in 2009. Although the environmental benefits of the car are obvious, I did not buy my G-Wiz for these reasons. Although concerns about the environment were high on the agenda for many owners, several other owners bought their cars because it was cheap to run, fun to drive and different from the pack rather than from a pressing concern about the environment. Several were car enthusiasts, often owning quite interesting classics or sports cars as well as a G-Wiz. Yet even these owners found that their G-Wiz made them think more about the environment. Often to their surprise, they found they were regarded as greenies because they owned a G-Wiz. Consequently, some people who bought their G-Wiz for non eco-reasons became environmentally aware because they owned a G-Wiz rather than the other way around. Having a community of G-Wiz owners undoubtedly helped the brand and helped sales. Potential owners had somewhere to come to ask other G-Wiz drivers about the car and help them come to a decision as to whether or not to buy one for themselves. Very occasionally, if there was an unhappy G-Wiz owner, the club membership was able to help them resolve their issues, and the more mechanically minded owners who wanted to maintain their own cars were able to exchange notes and assist each other to keep their own cars on the road. 19
Thanks to its strong internet presence and online media centre, newspapers and television channels wanting to cover electric cars frequently contacted us. The club often liaised between the media and owners to provide interviews and occasionally provided cars for review or shows. The owners club has also had an impact on charging point infrastructure, having worked with both local councils and individual businesses to provide charging facilities. A simple database of public charging points published on the club website and maintained by members inspired one person to set up a nationwide database of public and private charging points, with a lend a plug scheme to encourage electric car owners to offer their own charging facilities in return for having access to everyone elses. Today, the EV Network is the largest and most comprehensive charging point network in the United Kingdom and the model has been duplicated in many other countries across the world. Some members have gone on to become leading lights within the electric vehicle industry itself. One of the people leading the electric vehicle programme within Ford is a G-Wiz owner. Another provides consultancy services to Volvo. One is now an international journalist and broadcaster, specialising in electric cars and the future of transport. I have become a best-selling author on the subject of electric cars, regularly appear on television and radio talking about electric vehicle ownership and talk to many different manufacturers about the introduction of electric cars. 20
By 2010 the owners club had 1200 members in over 30 countries across the world. The web site has been translated into six languages and there are active communities in London and Bangalore. Many owners are on their second or third car and the community goes from strength to strength. Despite the new cars from mainstream manufacturers, the interest in this little car remains undiminished. It looks set to remain a common sight on the roads of London and Bangalore for several years to come. Another G-Wiz owner, Danny Fleet, was also very instrumental in bringing the G-Wiz to wider attention with his video blog, Dannys Contentment, which he started when he bought his G-Wiz in 2005 and decided to document his EV ownership experience. The site is now called PrimeTime EV and Danny has become an EV pundit in his own right, with invitations to many EV events and launches worldwide - and well worth following.
So, we seeded the G-Wiz in consumer lifestyle and business media and avoided motoring journalists unless we believed that they would be constructive in their reviews. David Williams of the London Evening Standard, and later Emma Smith of the Sunday Times InGear section were particularly balanced in their reporting and their articles helped us to gradually win over a section although by no means all - of the motoring press. Rossana encouraged journalists to view the G-Wiz for what it was and not for what it wasnt, spending many hours pitching and then debating our story. Although we were targeting a very small and tightly defined London audience, we chose to use a combination of mass media for maximum effect television news, transport and current affairs TV and radio programmes, daily and weekend newspaper and magazines ranging from womens glossies through to green publications and local lifestyle magazines. From the beginning we also worked very closely with the emerging green bloggers and online magazines such as Treehugger and later Business Green, who were themselves pioneering green reporting. Rossana was particularly diligent in developing the online relationships, and this played an important role in making the G-Wiz famous. When journalists Googled us, they found positive reviews and thoughtful, informed pieces (at least until a certain Jeremy Clarkson got involved). This pincer approach gave us credibility in the early years and enabled us to punch above our weight to such an extent that by 2006 I was giving two or three interviews every week, we had a seemingly 22
endless round of film crews from around the world coming to Southall to report on the story of the G-Wiz, taking the media coverage international. The G-Wiz owner was a vital part of our media strategy. Third party endorsement is a powerful marketing tool and we were always delighted by their willingness to be a part of the story, not just to refer new customers. Owners volunteered to speak to the media about their G-Wiz and on several occasions they achieved front covers in the national press including two Sunday Times InGear sections. We also had celebrities speak on behalf of the G-Wiz, the most notable being Krisitn Scott-Thomas talking about her leopard print G-Wiz to Jeremy Clarkson on BBC Top Gear, Jonathan Ross mentioning his G-Wiz on his TV and radio programmes on numerous occasions (and getting a double page spread in Heat into the bargain) and Jade Jagger, who after many years of ownership still mentions her G-Wiz in interviews. In addition to celebrities there were many leading businessmen including famous chairmen such as Archie Norman (ITV) and Sir Victor Blank (formerly Lloyds) who were often spotted driving around London in their G-Wiz and papped doing so. Whilst we frequently had agents get in touch requesting free G-Wiz for their clients, our policy was not to offer any discounts to celebrities (or to anyone else for that matter). I felt that if they truly believed in the idea behind the G-Wiz then a celebrity would pay the same price as everyone else and be all the more genuine in their appreciation as a result. GoinGreen was asked to lend G-Wiz for numerous TV programmes and films. Highlights 23
include the G-Wiz being written into the storyline of Kingdom (Stephen Frys ITV1 Sunday night drama) and a Panorama exclusive. Reporter Jane Corbin drove a G-Wiz around London, Birmingham and Manchester and even down the Santa Pod racetrack to highlight the rising cost and scarcity of oil. The programme also featured Ray Morrison, a G-Wiz owner who saved 9,000 a year (!) after swapping his 140 mph BMW for a G-Wiz for his daily London commute. Panoramas researchers conducted a poll and asked would you consider switching to an alternative fuel? and 50% said yes. We proved that there was a public appetite for change. Over the years, the G-Wiz has achieved global media coverage worth many millions of pounds equivalent in advertising value. For every pound we spent in fees we received around 500 in coverage I have yet to see better value for money from another marketing discipline.
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G-Wiz would succeed solely through the satisfaction of rational needs such as cheap commuting, but by inviting a realignment of the emotions based on the big issues of climate change, city pollution, oil depletion, and energy security. Our target audience were parents who cared about the future they were creating for their children. We made the link between cars and emissions and climate change. I spoke about how city pollution caused more deaths than road accidents, and how the UK had one of the highest incidences of asthma in Europe, due in part to diesel particulates. Later, we spoke about energy security and the need to wean our economies off oil and how liquid fuels could not deliver the huge reductions required in carbon emissions. The competitive price of the G-Wiz and the savings to be made in operating costs sealed the deal, once we had engaged our target audience with our purpose. Save the world for less than 10,000? Yes please. We tried to understand the psychology involved in changing the way people think and behave. To guide us in our messaging, we tracked the reasons given for purchase by G-Wiz customers. In the first three years, the primary reason for purchase was environmental, with cost savings second. Over time, cost savings became equally important, then more important as the UK economy worsened and then plunged into recession. Many people want to see themselves as part of a bigger story and often G-Wiz owners felt this way, particularly the early pioneers. Internally we used the phrase Leaders of Change to describe the mindset 26
of our customers. Our story became a way of uniting customers behind our strategy and vision. In fact more than this, our customers took ownership and responsibility for being the change they wished to see - appropriately enough for an Indian made vehicle. Ghandi would have been pleased.
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Accolades
Did the storytelling approach succeed in terms of critical acclaim and recognition? The following is a selection of some of the awards and accolades received, more than would have been received if we had simply tried to market the G-Wiz using traditional product-centric methods:
Finalist, Leader of the Year, Business Green Awards, 2011 2011 GQ Car Awards, the Nissan Leaf wins The G-Wiz Award for Eco-excellence UK Top 10 Ecopreneur, Real Business magazine 2008 Industry Market Leadership Award, Environmental & Sustainable Technology Awards 2007 Winner, 50 Best Cars 2007, The Independent newspaper 2007 Worst Car of the Year 2007, Top Gear Most Environmentally Friendly Car, BBC Wildlife magazine 2007
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Winner, Top 10 Green Wheels, Guardian Unlimited / What Green Car? 2007 Global Top 50 Low Carbon Pioneers, European Business magazine 2007 Winner, City Category, Car Buyers Guide, Environmental Transport Association Awards 2007 Highly Commended, Tackling Climate Change, Sustainable Cities Awards 2007 (runner up to SKY TV) Shortlisted, Carbon Trust Innovation Awards 2007 sponsored by The Daily Telegraph Shortlisted, Red Herring 100 Europe Awards 2006 Best PR Campaign, Green Awards 2006 Innovation Award, Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Awards 2006 Commended, Private Sector Innovation, Green Fleet Awards 2006 Commended, Green Marketing Campaign, Green Fleet Awards 2006 Winner, Top Ten Green Cars 2006 Most Environmentally Friendly Car, Green Car Buyer's Guide 2006 29
BT UK Top 20 Entrepreneur Award 2006 Winner, City Category, Environmental Transport Association Green Car Awards 2006 Finalist, Marketing Society Awards for Excellence 2005 (runner up to Tesco) Best Website, Green Fleet Awards 2005 Green Marketing Award, Environmental & Sustainable Technology Awards 2005 Ethical Award, Ethical Consumer magazine 2005 Most Environmentally Friendly Car, Green Car Buyer's Guide 2005 Community Impact Award, Startups Awards 2004 Green Marketing Award, Environmental & Sustainable Technology Awards 2004 Business Of The Year, T-Mobile Startups Awards 2004
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personally. Once people make your story, their story, you have tapped into the powerful forces of trust and belief. Our story came from our personal beliefs and passion. It was real, not manufactured, it stemmed from our purpose to provide sustainable mobility and to encourage responsible motoring. I view brand conversations as explaining our point of view. How did we form our point of view? We drew a metaphorical line in the sand and challenged our target audience to be part of the solution or remain part of the problem. An old clich but a powerful metaphor, one that at a stroke repositioned the car industry as the bad guys, knowing that they were unable to respond, except to undermine and lobby against our product, because the automotive majors had no EV product to sell yet and a status quo to preserve. Like smoking, or 4x4s in Chelsea, our goal was to make driving a conventional car perceived as increasingly socially unacceptable. By intensifying our story over time and making it a David vs. Goliath, good vs. bad storyline we made it more interesting and newsworthy. By challenging the belief that big, powerful, highly polluting cars should be aspirational, we introduced an unexpected story element that was contrary to conventional wisdom and this helped to reframe beliefs and make our story more memorable and persuasive. Our emphasis was always on the quality of our message, not the quantity. The quantity came later, an outcome of the quality. While on the subject of quality, we were indebted to the work of Jonathan Sands, founder of Elmwood brand design consultancy and his team for 32
their work on the GoinGreen and G-Wiz brand identities, and to photographer Richard Seymour for shooting some great photos of the G-Wiz over a five year period which helped to establish it as a London icon. Visual and verbal storytelling that really worked.
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In April 2008 I moved from my role as managing director at GoinGreen and spent a couple of years working with the team at Reva Electric Car Company as president of European operations. I took on the challenge of setting up a European distribution network for Reva and again, I employed Rossana Tich PR to help on the European and the global stage. In September 2009 Rossana and I took responsibility for the global premiere of the next generation Reva electric vehicles, the Reva NXR and the Reva NXG, at the 63rd Frankfurt International Motor Show. For this, we announced the Born Green initiative, a programme to measure not just the wellto-wheel emissions, but the dust-to-dirt emissions of the whole product lifecycle - to include manufacturing and emissions generated by the supply chain, manufacturing and disposal of the next generation of Reva EVs. This is a sustainable platform, one that has the potential to become very powerful in future. BMW launched their Born Electric programme in 2011, described on their website as a new kind of movement and the beginning of a new world of mobility with visionary use of sustainable technology. Indeed.
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Polarising opinion
By communicating a strong point of view we created a distinction between EVs and conventional cars, between us and them. I have said that our aim was to reposition conventional cars as bad and electric cars as good. The industry was already doing battle with the European Commission, who were pressing for reductions in average car emissions. As the global car manufacturers had no electric product to sell, this very publicly raised awareness of an issue that at the time they would rather have ignored, that we could not continue driving cars that use petrol or diesel. This had the effect of polarising opinion. Politicians such as David Cameron used the G-Wiz in photo opportunities to demonstrate their green credentials. Prince Charles was also happy to be photographed with one. Boris Johnson, when he was still an MP, reviewed the G-Wiz for GQ magazine and subsequently defended it in an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph newspaper against the Labour governments call for quadricycles to be banned. Now that he is Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has continued to support plug-in vehicles and introduced the cross-London charging scheme, Source London, seeking to regain Londons title as the electric car capital of Europe, lost recently to Oslo. A few days before Christmas 2006 cancer charity Macmillan asked celebrities to list their dream gifts for a celebrity Christmas stocking auction, where members of the public could buy their favourite celebrity's stocking stacked with gifts. Choices from people like Victoria Beckham, Claudia 36
Schiffer and Elizabeth Hurley included Jimmy Choo shoes and bags, jewellery and holidays however, Sir Elton John picked a Safari at Royal Malewane, a Theo Fennell Skull Ring, a Blackberry Pearl, a pack of Dairylea, Patrick Cox Skull Boots and a G-Wiz electric car. At another charity event, a G-Wiz was auctioned for 35,000. The G-Wiz had entered popular culture and people were taking sides.
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entertainment is presented as expert opinion by technically proficient presenters, the line becomes blurred. It was bizarre. On the one hand we were being spoken of as pioneers of the future of mobility and receiving fistfuls of awards, on the other there was heavy criticism. There was one particularly strange week when The Independent newspaper placed the G-Wiz at No. 1 in its Top 50 Cars of the Year list and Top Gear voted it their Worst Car of the Year. Nick Hewson, co-founder of GoinGreen: I love Top Gear. I like the presenters. I share many of their opinions about many things. Such a concerted attack by Clarkson though, I suppose its something I would never do. Most of us have those moments when we know we have done something wrong, morally or otherwise. I really dont think Clarkson thinks he has done something wrong, morally or otherwise though. I suppose I feel that a right to do something, like freedom of speech, carries with it a responsibility to speak freely but also truly. I can quite believe that he and the other protagonists at Top Gear believed it was a good laugh. I quite understand their concerns for safety, but they didnt tell the whole story, just the part that suited them, and due to the enormous and well deserved success of the show, the little G-Wiz could not stand up to the bully in the playground. It reminded me of the power of the media, which we had used to build up our business, only to suffer in equal measure at the hands of a skilled journalist and presenter. We were achieving our social objectives to get the EV market started, but 39
our commercial objectives had taken a hard knock. When in 2009 the UK government announced the 2010 incentive for electric cars offering a grant of 20% up to 5,000 per car and the G-Wiz was excluded from the grant scheme, we realised that microcars were not going to be supported in the UK, at least not the way they are currently conceived and not unless or until the global car companies had product available. It was the coup de grace for the G-Wiz. Dr Maini, co-founder and former Chairman of Reva Electric Car Company, comments: London was the first overseas market for Reva Electric Car Company and it was important not just for our reputation overseas and as a vital contribution to our global sales, but also in gaining acceptance of our technology here in India by Indians. GoinGreen's contribution cannot be underestimated. With no automotive experience they established our technology as the leader not just in the UK but also in Europe. To have created such a high profile, attracted so many famous customers and put electric vehicles on the agenda with such limited resources, was remarkable. As a result, Reva gained the number one sales position for EVs worldwide, attracted significant inward investment and subsequently created a global brand in electric vehicles. There are some in the industry who refuse to acknowledge it, but the little G-Wiz was the genie in the bottle. Electric vehicles are now here to stay and it is only a question of how long before the market takes off and then over. In the next chapter I have 40
included some media quotes as a reminder of what was said by the various commentators along the way.
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else, these guys have produced the top selling electric car in the world, while creating a devoted customer base.' Simpleandloveable.com. 'The G-Wiz works magnificently. The future is here and it's electric'. AM ('the newspaper for the automotive industry'). 'Where are the rivals? Yes there are other electric cars on the market, but even in Congestion-Charge afflicted London, they don't seem to be selling.' Auto IT. 'Cute as a button.' Sunday Times Style magazine, 'Going Up'. Whats Hot for 2005: G-Wiz. London Evening Standard. 'Smart has failed to focus and allowed rivals such as Indian-made electric car G-Wiz to steal its thunder.' FT.com. All the youth want today is a G-Wiz.' Jeremy Clarkson, Times Online (when ruefully reviewing the new Vauxhall Corsa). 'G-Wiz is No. 1. It delivers everything you need from a city runabout - as a result it is now the most successful battery electric car in the UK with nearly 1,000 already in use in the capital.' Top 10 Green Wheels, Guardian Unlimited/What GreenCar? 43
'With no petrol costs, no road tax, no congestion charge and free parking in London (choose) the well rated Reva G-Wiz'. Sunday Times InGear section, 'First steps in saving the planet. The eco-friendly G-Wiz is fast becoming the 'It' car du jour.' Lowri Turner, Grazia magazine. 'The greenest car on the planet.' The Independent. I booked a test driveand I was hooked within minutes. Reader I bought one. Which was not quite a simple as it sounds: theres a waiting list of at least three months. Alan Rusbridger, Editor, The Guardian. 'I knew I was on to a winner the moment I set eyes on its eager, bug-eyed little face.' Emma Smith, Sunday Times, Driving section. 'Voted 'Good Choice' Good Housekeeping Institute Tried Tested -Trusted seal of approval, Good Housekeeping magazine. The guy who turns up at your door driving an electric G-Wiz is the sexy option' Mariella Frostrup, Observer Magazine. 'Perfectly good for around town or shopping...it's a jolly-looking car... it just doesn't fit into my car configuration. I've the Rolls Phantom for posh events driven by the chauffeur and the Bentley to drive 44
around London. But if you'd like one, I can tell you it's a pleasant experience.' Michael Winner, Daily Mail. 'Those who drive about regularly could get an electric G-Wiz, and if you fancy a speeding ticket, join a car club.' Country Life. 'Electric cars are the future of motoring' Petrolprices.com. 'Electric cars are the fastest-growing form of transport in Britain's crowded capital. The most ubiquitous is the tiny plastic G-Wiz, designed in California and built in Bangalore. Economics accounts for most of its growing charm. With a starting price of about 9,000 it allows Britain's middle classes to make an affordable statement on climate change.' The Economist. 'After getting used to the Scalextric start, I enjoyed driving in town for the first time since the introduction of the congestion charge. Zoom along at up to 45 mph in your dodgem-cum-electric skateboard. Zip in and out of impossibly small places. I'm all for it.' Technopolis, The Financial Times, How To Spend It. 'The car is a triumph.' The Times, body&soul section. 'This dinky darter is ideal for the city commuter'. GQ Style magazine.
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Just plug it in, turn it on and move it out - the G-Wiz electric car offers drivers a stylish and eco-friendly way to get around congested city streets.' Thomas Grose, Time magazine. 'Light, agile and the perfect metropolitan mobility solution, the G-Wiz is also Britain's cheapest car to run by a country mile.' Quentin Wilson, Sunday People, & former Top Gear presenter. 'Fuel efficiency is immense - the equivalent of up to 600 miles per gallon.' Ray Massey, Transport Editor, Daily Mail. 'The Eley Kishimoto G-Wiz. Loved for its ecocredentials, the Whizzer gets a fashion makeover. Woo-hoo.' Sunday Times, Style magazine, Going Up' (again) 'GoinGreen created the electric car market in the UK, MD Keith Johnston is one of the most inspiring small business entrepreneurs.' AutoWired. 'Keith Johnston and GoinGreen deserve huge credit because they've created the market for electric cars in the UK.' Julian Wilford, NICE, Professional Engineering. 'The One To Watch is Keith Johnston of GoinGreen'. Growing Business For Entrepreneurs. The fact is this. Electric cars do not work. The federal government in America teamed up with Ford 46
and GM years ago to develop a battery that will get you to the shops . . . and back. They've spent millions and millions and so far have come up with diddly squat. Jeremy Clarkson, The Sun 'There is a map on the wall of GoinGreen's offices which shows the spread of emission free motoring. It looks like the early stages of a virus, and it is spreading fast.' The Scotsman. 'No. 4, the G-Wiz. What's Cool for summer', Marie Claire. Electric cars 'one of the most viral ideas of the moment' Fortune magazine. 'No.1: Buy a G-Wiz'. The 50 Best Green Resolutions For 2007, The Independent. 'Fantastic. Wonderful. I wish everyone would sell their horrible, ugly, noisy, smelly cars and purchase a G-Wiz. 'Georgia Byng, London Evening Standard. 'No. 10: Invest in an eco-friendly car - the G-Wiz is a good example.' 27 Ways to Go Green in 2007, The Sun. 'GoinGreen, the company behind the G-Wiz, should be commended on their efforts in bringing such a vehicle to the market, and for some people, in the centre of London for example, it can provide motoring with very low running costs.' caronline.co.in. 47
'We're psyched to see GoinGreen has unveiled the third generation of its cult car -- the G-Wiz i makes brilliant sense.' smartplanet.com This is what happens when you let a bunch of nitwits take charge of the greenhouse gas debate. The G-Wiz...A few luvvies in London are not going to make the slightest bit of difference, even if its correct that cars are buggering up the ice pack. Jeremy Clarkson. " I LOVE my G-Wiz. I want one in Paris. It is such fun to drive, easy to park, nippy and it is great being able to match any one at a green light. Also children laugh when I pass by. Has to be worth it!' Kristin Scott Thomas, Daily Mail. 'By the end of the day I was in a happy little trance. I beetled down alleyways that would have been impassable to my great big fat Toyota. I crept up silently behind people and tooted my little horn. I found that it really could go quite fast downhill; and let me tell you, it doesn't matter a damn that the top speed is only 42mph when the average speed of London traffic is 3mph....All the time it was warming the cockles of my heart with the thought that it was so damn cheap. It seems to cost about 50p to charge the batteries for a 40-mile round trip. Only a bicycle beats that. And not only was I saving money- I was saving the planet! Boris Johnson, GQ magazine.
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GoinGreen is the largest zero emissions auto distributor on the planet today'. Newsweek 50 Best Cars 2007: No.1: G-Wiz "...it's hard to fault the environmental credentials of this electric runabout. If you have a sustainable-energy supplier, then this is about as planet-friendly as it gets." The Independent. The eco-iconic electric car. Trendwatching.com 2010
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London's congestion zone and know that everyone else is paying, or to park free on any of the immensely expensive meters in Westminster. But for me and my wife, I think the keyword has to be fun and that's plenty of reason for getting one.' - Bamber Gascoigne, TV presenter, TW9 'I love my little G-Wiz. It's fun to drive, cute and the cost savings are just amazing. I am recommending it to all my friends and clients'. - Nina Kosovecic, London N12 'Many, many thanks for allowing me to have the most fun I have had in years. After years of discourteous London driving, I am being given right of way, grinned at and even had the odd kiss blown at me. I have suddenly become a cool Mum and permitted to collect a fiercely independent teenager (that won't last). I love it, it ihas made commuting bearable once more.' - Gail Cohen, London E9 'My name is Anabel and I have upgraded to the G-Wiz ac drive. I do the school run from Kenningtonhomestead- Kennington every day. Every day we load it up with school bags, lunch boxes, and my 2 children, sometimes they have friends home for tea, and then the car is full to capacity. Otherwise it still feels roomy enough for the long journey. The children only want to be in the electric car. Preferred car by whole family! My nine year old son says "We love the G Wiz, not only do you help save the planet, BUT you 51
get to school quicker as the G Wiz is so small it fits in all the gaps!' - Anabel Kindersley, London SE11 'I'm absolutely thrilled with my G-Wiz.... not only do I get a buzz from driving into the congestion charge every day but now I'm told that my environmentally friendly car is the latest must have accessory for female television executives, replacing the Fendi handbag!!' - Jane Lush, London NW3 'I love my G-Wiz even though it is like Lowly Worm's car (Lowly Worm as in the Richard Scary books). It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. When I bought it, I thought the best bit would be the fact that I would feel green and also that I'd save money on parking and fines. Actually the best bit about the car is that going into town is like driving to the local village and a trip is STRESS FREE. No cursing because you haven't got any pound coins, no tripping as you run to stop a parking attendant slap a ticket on your car. No waking up in the night, thinking 's**t I didn't pay the congestion charge'. It is fantastic to be able to cut this sort of rubbishy stress out of ones life. Thank you.' - Georgia Byng, London NW 'It's now six months since I first got my G-Wiz and I feel compelled to write to you to let you know how it has changed my life. The convenience of being able to park in Central London at virtually no cost, combined with the ability to park in the smallest of 52
spaces is incredible. In particular, the flexibility of having a car in London and not be reliant on the unreliable Tube is like discovering a new freedom.' - Alex Dee, London NW3 'I have now had my G-Wiz for a year and use it every day for business, pleasure and for taking my kids to school. I love the fact it is green and saves me money. I would not drive anything else in London and every time I drive my G-Wiz it puts a smile on my face' - Daniel Englander, London NW6 'I love driving my G-Wiz -- it's fun and practical - but most of all I love knowing that I'm not polluting my children's future.' - Rabbi Deborah Kahn Harris, London N22 '' I tell people that next to my children and my dog, I love my G-Wiz. I was thinking about why I loved it - it saves on my congestion charge, it saves on my parking-meters, it saves on my petrol, especially it is environmentally friendly, but above all IT IS FUN TO DRIVE!' - Louisa Service OBE, London NW3
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The future
In 20 years, all the cars on the road will be electric, Warren Buffet. Stringent European new car CO2 targets mandates the introduction of ultra low carbon cars and enforce a programme whereby by 2020 new cars will emit 40% less CO2 than in 2007. The UK government goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2027 and by 80% by 2050. GoinGreen remains the UK importer and retailer of the G-Wiz and Reva Electric Car Company is now Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles following Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindras purchase of a majority stake in the company in May 2010. The Reva NXR, the model to replace the G-Wiz, is scheduled for launch in India early 2012, a conventional car rather than a microcar. The stunning Reva NXG is scheduled for 2013, a design that will compete seriously for most beautiful EV. There are now an increasing number of second generation EVs on the market providing greater choice and performance for consumers, albeit at three times the price of the G-Wiz. The Nissan Leaf was the 2011 World Car of the Year, whilst Mitsubishi, Citroen, Peugeot, Ford have all introduced or are about to introduce electric cars. Renault look like leading the pack soon, with the introduction of not one but four affordable electric vehicles priced from 7,000 to 18,000 plus a monthly battery lease from 40 to 70 (the Z.E. Twizy, Zoe, Kangoo and Fluence, the result of a $15 bn investment to date). The UK is 54
set to manufacture Nissan electric cars for the European market in Sunderland, whilst British electric sports car developer Lightning Car Company is developing the stunning 700 bhp Lightning GT. Some manufacturers are now experimenting with lightweight microcars, such as Renault with the Twizy, Audi with their Urban Concept, VW with the Nils and Opel with the RAKe. There are a small but growing number of second generation EV owners here in the UK and globally. They are the innovators, the enthusiastic pioneers who almost without exception are enjoying their electric cars and spreading the word that EVs are safe, practical and fun. Top Gear meanwhile continues to criticize, damn with faint praise and obfuscate in the name of entertainment, but they are merely delaying the inevitable and we will see a change of heart soon enough. Automotive specialist Pike Research estimate that by 2016 there will be more than 150 pure electric and plug-in hybrid electric models for sale and 4.7m charging points installed worldwide. Looking further ahead, the European Union has targeted 60% of new car sales to be electric by 2030 and to end the sale of conventionally fuelled cars by 2050. As the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources increases the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has set a target of 77% globally by 2050 - so emissions attributed to electric cars will continue to decrease, until we are able to decarbonise transport. Electric vehicles will become cleaner still, powered by renewables and by 55
nuclear electricity and in some countries continuously trickle charging via solar roof panels and inductive charging, hidden wireless recharging technology that may be sited at traffic lights and where EVs are parked. As Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan stated, The future of cars is electric.
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electric cars occupied an unprofitable niche of the automobile market however as they were only able to lease 800 units in face of production costs of US$1 billion over four years. An alliance of the major automakers litigated the CARB regulation in court, resulting in a slackening of the Zero Emission Vehicle stipulation. The EV1 program was subsequently discontinued in 2002 and all cars on the road were repossessed. Lessees were not given the option to purchase their cars from GM, which cited parts, service, and liability regulations. The majority of the repossessed EV1s were crushed and the rest delivered to museums and educational institutes with their electric powertrains deactivated, under the agreement that the cars were not to be reactivated and driven on the road. I recommend all conspiracy fans watch the brilliant documentary Who Killed The Electric Car? (you can rent the DVD) which is an account of the events of this period. I also recommend the 2012 sequel Revenge of the Electric Car, also directed by Chris Paine. The G-Wiz is not the only purpose built EV available to buy in the last decade. Instead of a G-Wiz you could have purchased a Maranello (Italian), a Mega (French), a Venturi (also French), a Kewet (Norwegian), a Think (also Norwegian), a Microvett (Italian), an Elettrica (another Italian), a Tazzari (also Italian), a MyCar (Chinese), a ZAP (also Chinese), a GEM (US), a Tango (also US), a ZENN (Canadian) and several others. You had a choice of more than a dozen pioneering EV brands as they came and mostly went. 58
Today, the second generation pure electric cars are on the market. You can order the brilliant but expensive Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi imiev, Citroen CZero, Peugeot ion, Renault Twizy (interestingly, a quadricycle, like the G-Wiz) Tesla Roadster and soon EVs from Mahindra Reva (NXR), smart (ED), Renault (Z.E. Fluence, Kangoo and Zoe), Peugeot VELV, Ford (Focus electric), Chevrolet (Spark EV), VW (E up!), BMW (i3), Audi (e Tron), Toyota (iQ electric), Kia and plug-in vehicles from most of the other global brands will soon be available, together with the growing charging infrastructure networks featuring charging stations in the tens of thousands.
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Iceland and Norway, which already have all or most of their electricity from renewable sources are making their contribution to climate change with the introduction in 2012 of truly emission free electric vehicles from the global car marques.
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and by April 23 2011 it had already passed this annual allowance. But its not just a city pollution problem. The average car puts between two and four tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. According to Professor Julia King, author of the 2008 King Review of Low Carbon Cars for the last Labour government, cars and other vehicles account for 14% of global CO2 emissions, the leading cause of climate change. In the UK, transport accounts for 26% of emissions, in the US the figure is 33%. Worse, they are the fastest growing source of emissions, because of the popularity of the car and the rise in the number of people that can afford one, particularly in the emerging BRIC countries (Brazil, India, Russia and China). Chillingly, whilst over half of adults in the US and Europe own a car, that figure is less than one person in every 100 in China and India. By 2050, car ownership in China and India alone is predicted to pass 1 billion, compared to around 150 million cars in in the US today. Houston, we have a problem. In March 2009 the worlds leading scientists issued what The Times newspaper called a desperate plea to politicians to act on climate change before the planet becomes unrecognizable and in places impossible to live on. A statement to politicians said that there was no excuse for inaction and that weak and ineffective governments must stand up to big business and vested interests. Like the global automotive industry perhaps, which together with the oil industry has been staggeringly successful at maintaining the vehicular status quo for the last 100 years; and more recently at resisting repeated calls 63
for a legally binding radical reduction in emissions. It looks to me like the automotive industry is the problem, whilst marketing itself as the solution. The effects of climate change are affecting just about everyone. In the UK we are seeing extremes of temperatures with hotter summers a real problem for cities such as London, which do not cool down at nighttime and wetter, colder, windier winters that disrupt travel and cause problems for the supply of food and other essentials such as fuel. I am writing this in April 2011 and todays forecast is for 26 degrees centigrade in London. In April! Scientific evidence from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, www.ipcc.ch) suggests that globally we need a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Developed countries like the UK will need to reduce emissions by at least 80% by 2050. This is in order to achieve stabilisation of atmospheric CO2 concentration between 450 and 550 ppm, in order to have a realistic chance of avoiding the most damaging effects of climate change. As some sectors will be unable to meet the 80% targets, for developed countries this means we must achieve total decarbonisation of road transport by 2050. The total CO2 emissions per head in 2050 in the UK must be lower than the average new car emissions per head today. As I am writing this, the European Union has just announced a White Paper to legislate for this by removing all cars powered by petrol or diesel by this date. But its not just a city pollution and a climate change problem. It is a massive energy, and therefore 64
economic, problem. The oil used to power cars is located in distant places around the world that are not readily predisposed to our interests in the UK. Not only that, oil appears to have reached the halfway point, (commonly known as Peak Oil) where half or more of the oil available has been excavated. The UK, like many countries, is borrowing money from abroad to buy oil from abroad, an unsustainable situation. With rising demand for oil, a flat or declining supply, increasing financial, energy and environmental costs for extraction and uncertainty of supply, we may soon face the very real problem of not enough oil to go round. Transport is 95% dependent on liquid hydrocarbon fuels derived from crude oil. The price at the petrol pump of one litre of diesel has nearly doubled from 78p per litre in 2002 to 1.48p in 2011. Put simply, if we do not have enough oil to fuel our vehicles, or we can no longer afford to do so, how do the millions who commute to work every day by car get there? Or kids to school? Or ambulances to accidents, police to crime scenes, food to supermarkets? And if we cannot get to work, or have sufficient fuel for heating and lighting, then how can we maintain a functioning society? Whilst the downside of not addressing these issues is frightening, the upside is equally big. Electric vehicles can be a key to addressing climate change, energy and economic security and avoiding future wars and other hardships. EVs are at the core of a new electron economy. If we can transition rapidly from a predominantly oil and coal-based transport system to one powered by electrons, EVs 65
can be charged using electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and tidal, and enable truly emission free mobility. EVs use just one third the energy of conventional cars, thereby reducing the burden on our finite energy sources. EVs also encourage the development of the smart grid, which may use EVs as power sources at times of peak energy demand, by drawing upon energy stored in their batteries. EVs are also beneficial because they will be charged mostly at night, when we have excess electricity available.
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Advertising in Hong Kong and then founder and ceo of what is now called Chemistry Communications Group plc in London, part of Publicis Group. I live with my wife Lucy in Hove, near Brighton on the south coast of England.
breakthrough in price: performance, using 80% fewer parts than a conventional car and costing less than half the price of a typical EV conversion. In 2009, following the success of GoinGreen with the Reva G-Wiz in the UK and its subsequent expansion into 20 markets, Chetan Maini was named by Business Week magazine as one of the top 50 most powerful people in India. A year later Mahindra & Mahindra, the US$7 billion Indian conglomerate acquired a majority stake and renamed the company Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles. Now, as I write this book in October 2011 Chetan is in London to receive The Economists 2011 Innovation Award for Energy And The Environment. Together with product innovations such as Google mail and Amazons Kindle, the Reva G-Wiz has been formally recognised as the first affordable, mass produced electric vehicle.
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Final Thoughts
Thank you for reading this essay. I make no claims about my writing abilities, or to be unbiased in my thoughts and recollections. I hope I have been accurate, and apologise if I have not. I hope I have given an insight into the transition to electric vehicles and about what can be achieved when you harness the power of PR and digital communications - the two now being intertwined to engage people with your story. Rossana Tich and I found to our delight that they can be very effective indeed, so much so that we launched Fable + Co, a public relations agency. Sally Panter, also ex GoinGreen and now an experienced PR is part of the Fable + Co team and a Director of the company - sayhello@fableandco.com if you would like to get in touch. Meanwhile I blog on electric vehicles at connEVted.co.uk and I am promoting electric vehicle recharging in a new role as Business Development Director at Elektromotive, the UK pioneer of the EV recharging industry (and global number 3, according to a report by Pike Research). If you have any thoughts about this story or more generally about EVs, contact me at keithjohnston@connEVted.co.uk.
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