Product Technology And Data: The Elements Of A Differentiated EV Customer Experience

Vani Rikhy Mehra Jul 27, 2022

We all understand that the EV buying cycle is different from an ICE vehicle. While customers are still contemplating making the EV switch, OEMs in the electric vehicle space need to go an extra mile to mobilise customer purchases and instill confidence. In the three-wheeler segment, EVs have already captured that mindshare, but mass transition is yet to take place.

EV companies in India often draw inspirations from global EV innovation and miss that the Indian market is a distinct archetype – with diverse customer segments and demographics. EV tech in India is still striving for customer acceptance, for which OEMs need to deliver exactly what a customer needs to buy an EV. This involves a stellar product, a holistic ecosystem to support operations and data analytics to improve performance in the long term.

Product Development and a Cohesive Ecosystem – A 360 Approach to EVs

In the commercial and logistics segment, mass adoption depends on powerful vehicles that can replace ICEs effortlessly, and on a cohesive ecosystem comprising charging and servicing.

The reason Tesla is the one of the earliest successes in electrification of the fleet is because it mastered the technology and augmented a charging infra of its own, as per the market need. Similarly, EV OEMs must look at product innovation that cater to the diverse Indian terrain and temperature conditions.

The right EV design and R&D forms a crucial piece of this pie. For instance, high payload-carrying capacity are key customer asks from a commercial EV, so you need a robust battery pack to power the vehicle to deliver optimum range at full payload capacity. Another example specific to India is how the extreme climate conditions put immense pressure on battery life; and liquid cooling battery tech becomes a solution to ensure longevity and protection against thermal degradation.

The next step is to have an expansive network of public charging points, and perhaps look at it as a precedent for India. It has been observed that infrastructure is not a major focus area for OEMs which could be detrimental in impacting mass transition. Some options like plug and play, or charge on wheels or charging at public points are ways to establish an independent infrastructure. With this, EVs do not become dependent on third party players to create the infrastructure and the country develops its own charging ecosystem in due time.

Another requisite is servicing, which completes the customer experience cycle. Interacting during and after vehicle delivery, offering vehicle customisation, regular engagement through focused initiatives are some ways to build a strong customer community.

Data Analytics

A successful customer experience is driven by data, which often is missed in the larger play of things. Data analytics has tremendous potential for EVs to function and expand as an industry. It will help EV OEMs understand driver profiles and categories of on road operations, insights on driver behaviour and battery performance of the fleet. Eventually, the continuous data insights would help EV brands develop industry and market intelligence, and in turn innovate to roll out products that talk to customer needs. Areas of underutilisation can easily be identified, and R&D teams could work on possible ramifications for a better value proposition.

Winning companies, such as Apple, Tesla and many more have innovated continuously, based on such customer data and feedback. They have also focused on personalisation to bolster customer confidence. Similarly, EVs OEMs in India need to appeal to customers using dynamic personalisation, and 1-1 engagements to deliver that differentiated customer experience.

The passage for OEMs to enable a fast-track EV adoption in India is only routed through the customer. Striking this chord is the real undertaking, the learnings of which require a deep dive in customer centricity and innovation.