If you’re in the market for an electric vehicle (EV), chances are you already know Nevo, the country’s go to resource for information on electric motoring, educational content and a host of nationwide events, including Ireland’s largest EV show.
As well as expert video reviews, practical advice and in-depth articles from motoring journalists, the website provides digital aids for consumers such as an EV comparison tool and digital journey planner.
The strength of its content and its credibility has driven 130,000 unique visitors to the site every month, attracting Bank of Ireland as a partner and turning Nevo into a trusted brand.
“Up until recently we positioned Nevo as being Ireland’s only dedicated electric vehicle platform. We have since grown that to Nevo being Ireland’s home of electric motoring,” says Andreucetti.
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It is the only platform in the country that features the full range of electric vehicles in one place.
“Nevo is now the place for Irish people to come and learn about electric vehicles,” he tells Densu’s Dave Winterlich. “We work with every manufacturer in the marketplace and we also work with all the key stakeholders.”
In addition to Bank of Ireland, Nevo’s partners include ESB, Zevi (Zero Emissions Vehicles Ireland) – the Government office leading Ireland’s transition to low emission mobility – and Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland.
“Anyone who is a key player in the electric vehicle sector is either working with us or partnered with us in some way,” he says.
The brand repositioning reflects a pivot Nevo undertook two years ago in relation to its operating model. Instead of its initial focus on its work with car dealers, it decided to concentrate on motorists instead. It did it for one very clear reason – consumers needed education.
“A couple of years ago there was a lot of negative information out there around electric vehicles and we took a business standpoint to tackle that,” he says.
Instead of generating revenues from car dealers who pay to be on the platform, Nevo now features every franchise dealer in the country – and every car brand – for free.
“That’s what makes us different,” he says, “being a key voice to tackle all the misinformation.”
The consumer-facing work of Nevo’s director of content and PR, Derek Reilly, known in media circles as “Mr EV”, has played a key role in that. He regularly critiques EV brands on Nevo Review, Ireland’s largest EV review channel on YouTube. More than 95,000 hours of EV reviews have been uploaded to the channel so far this year. Last year almost one million people visited Nevo’s website, while 27,000 people visited one of its physical events.
The decision to focus on consumer education has paid off, leaving Nevo in a stronger position than ever to work with car brands to deliver leads to their franchise networks.
Events play an integral role in Nevo’s success. In 2024 it held the inaugural Nevo Electric Vehicle Show in partnership with Bank of Ireland at Dublin’s RDS. The sell out show featured nearly 60 electric vehicles from 25 automotive brands, attracting more than 13,000 visitors.
Though it helped that it was the first car show of any kind to be held in Ireland for 10 years, a key part of its commercial success was a canny approach to exhibiting.
“We built a model that was fair to all the car brands,” he says.
The biggest fear for many brands considering exhibiting at a motor show is being overshadowed by a rival. “With our model everyone is on a similar package. It means brands know they are not going to be overshadowed by a competitor. We kept everything transparent, told people that this is what everybody’s on and that’s how we got so many brands there.”
Despite growing consumer interest in EVs, Nevo’s research suggests that just 29 per cent of non-EV owners are considering changing to electric. The low figure reflects what he calls the “reality gap” that exists between people who own electric vehicles and people who don’t.
‘The average person in Ireland, according to the last census report, only drives 25 to 30km a day. I have a car that does 550km on a single charge and we charge our car at home once a month’
— Simon Andreucetti, managing director of Nevo
“Before they buy an electric vehicle, people think they are going to have range anxiety,” says Andreucetti. “They think they are going to struggle with the public charging. They think their car is not going to meet their daily driving needs. They think the battery is not going to last, that it’s going to die on them all the time and they’re going to be constantly charging. And the truth is, that’s all misinformation.”
The truth is that charging infrastructure is racing ahead and a new EV battery today will likely outlive its car. After all, the average range of an EV is currently around 400 to 550km on a single charge – and that’s for real-world driving, not lab tests.
“Yet the average person in Ireland, according to the last census report, only drives 25 to 30km a day. I have a car that does 550km on a single charge and we charge our car at home once a month,” he points out.
Little wonder that a Nevo survey found that 95 per cent of EV owners are satisfied with their car and that 96 per cent, were they to buy another car tomorrow, would buy an EV.
The good news for marketers is that frees brands up to focus on features such as driveability and performance, which is what car buyers want.
“It’s like, let’s stop talking about [the internal combustion engine]. Let’s stop talking about electric. I just want a car that’s comfortable, does all the practical things and is fun to drive.”
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