The annual CES/Consumer Electronics Show is always an interesting news source. One takeaway from this year’s show is the number of new products which are sustainable in design, but which don’t use sustainability as the primary driver of their sales pitches.
For example, there is a brand-new electric grill being launched at CES. Not burning fossil fuels is a significant benefit, but the pitch is that the electric grill will save you time. Not having to drive around/lug around an empty propane tank looking for a refill is a massive check on the plus side of the ledger. Then you add in smart features such as WiFi controls and app-based alerts to make your cooking smarter and easier.
Or the new e-bike which has a “race mode”, so you can use instant torque to have a blast tooling around. Sure, the e-bike will replace some car trips, but more importantly it’s a lot of fun to use.
Electrification is helping these new products be better products. It’s the same with electrification in the automotive industry – electricity is making better cars. Never having to pump gas again is a huge benefit. Instant acceleration and torque make driving more fun. Being able to refuel on your own schedule rather than having to take time out of your day to find an open gas station is a game-changer. There are less maintenance costs because you don’t have to deal with all the moving parts of an ICE car. You save money because filling up with electricity is less expensive than gas. All of these are huge benefits beyond the sustainability selling feature that electric cars provide.
In the end it comes down to the product – better products usually win in the marketplace, and electrification is providing better products.
