When a vehicle’s appeal is assessed in terms of its connectivity, range between charges and autonomous driving capabilities, the mechanical engineering prowess on which legacy OEMs built their business will cease to be a point of differentiation. Instead CX will come to the fore as the best means of attracting and retaining customers.

In the case of existing customers, that CX needs to be laser focused on addressing and eliminating what are still common concerns about electric vehicles such as range anxiety, battery longevity and worries regarding depreciation and resale or trade-in values.

What’s more, any attempt to resolve those issues or alter perceptions will need to be tailored to different demographics and regional markets.

As well as having different channels of choice when it comes to connecting with brands, demographics have varying preferences for learning and information absorption, and this needs to be reflected in onboarding, support and self-service strategies. This could include offering both voicebots and chatbots or providing troubleshooting in diverse formats — like documentation, illustrations and videos — as well as high-touch options such as co-browsing sessions with a customer service agent.

While internal efforts to educate, onboard, support or deliver self-service options that align with generational preferences will make a positive difference, on their own they won’t be sufficient in aiding a smooth transition to EV ownership.

There are wider systemic shortcomings that require attention if OEMs are going to avoid financial penalties and achieve the mandated annual EV sales targets over the course of the decade in some of their largest markets.

One of the biggest shortcomings is the charging infrastructure, which varies widely from market to market and lacks cohesion and interoperability. And while major automotive brands have made significant financial investments in this area to help maintain momentum, they also need to take a more prominent relationship management role. In numerous markets, there is a lack of coordination and cooperation between charging point providers, mobility and payments service providers, government agencies and utilities companies. The result is a subpar CX that the vehicle owner will equate with the OEM brand rather than the ecosystem of third parties delivering the service.