Chase Auto is looking to increase consumer adoption and understanding of electric vehicles (EV) and their underlying technology with its new Electric Vehicle Education Center.
The website, which launched July 6, breaks down the differences between EVs, including hybrids, plug-in hybrid EVs and fully electric vehicles. It also offers search functionality that allows consumers to find up-to-date EV incentives by ZIP code, outlines the differences in the types of chargers and tips to alleviate range anxiety, and a comprehensive explanation of the upfront and on-going costs of owning an EV, Jamie Jones, general manager of luxury and electric brands at the bank’s auto arm, told Auto Finance News.
“Within Chase Auto, as we started contemplating how we could support customers transitioning from gas to electric … we really had to take a step back with the realization that many new customers who are buying an electric vehicle are first-time buyers,” Jones said. “[T]he first step was to produce a content site filled with education, tips and tools to help customers prepare for that transition.”
Chase Auto leveraged its in-house expertise, agency partners and its EV OEM partners — which include Rivian Automotive and Fisker Automotive — to stand the site up “relatively quickly,” Jones said.
From a product marketing perspective, the lender is also considering opportunities to deliver offers and messaging for its EV OEM partners, Jones said, noting the current iteration is “just the starting point.” Chase Auto is the private-label financier for both Rivian and Fisker, and currently features a Rivian partner spotlight at the top of its homepage.
“When we built the site… customers were our primary focus,” Jones said. But “along that journey of developing the site, we also recognized this is a terrific platform to let our partners like Rivian, Fisker and Subaru present their new products. We think over time as new vehicles become available and technology evolves, then we’ll be able to bring in new partners to present their products on the site as well.”
The site launch follows the February release of Chase Auto Finance and Drive, an online marketplace that connects consumers looking to purchase a vehicle with dealers in their area and offers preapprovals ahead of the visit. Consumers can navigate to the marketplace from the Electric Vehicle Education Center, and vice versa.
“We do think that it is very interactive and that customers will be likely to move through the site and take advantage of all those different steps in the process,” Jones said.
Auto Finance Summit, the premier industry event for auto lending and leasing, returns October 26-28 at the Wynn Las Vegas. To learn more about the 2022 event and register, visit www.AutoFinanceSummit.com.
