Tailgating should be on everyone’s mind after the LVIII Super Bowl. It was a long party- in fact the longest Super Bowl game in history- and it also had, if you count, the fewest number of ads for new cars. There were just four car advertisements, and three of them touted electric vehicle models (EVs) alongside the conventional lineup. None of these ads caught the symbiotic connection between a long game, happy tailgating and EV power.
Imagine a different scenario: you see a convivial scene of men and women celebrating the game, popping yet another drink, and sharing their admiration for their chariot. In that case, put an electric vehicle (EV) in the picture. EVs are the ultimate invite to a tailgate party- whether or not you have a Ford F150 Lightning with its hinged back panel or a small Nissan Leaf with a lift-gate. In either case its the battery array powers the party, not the skimpy 12 volt one.
Party on… lights on:
So, with this new guest the tailgate can go on, and on, and on. There’s sufficient power to chill the cooler with drinks, simmer heat the warm dip and meatballs, and add festive color with a string of synchronized lights. To put things in perspective, a larger EV, say the Tesla Model S, can store 80 to 100 kilowatt hours of electric power. Only 1 kilowatt hour is needed to power a home refrigerator for five hours. Electric vehicles have already demonstrated their value in glamping. A Ford F150 Lightning owner, Veesquee, responded on a Subreddit post that his vehicle lost but 3 miles of battery range over a one day trip when the cooler was plugged in almost continuously and the stove was used for 2 or 3 hours.
Madison Avenue execs who develop gee-whiz SuperBowl ads have missed up another year of opportunity. The conventional ads that depict an electric vehicle cruising on a scenic road or racing off the mark don’t do justice to the vehicle’s capabilities. When the F150 Lightning rolled out, Ford planned a campaign demonstrating how the truck might power up tools for a work site and electrify a home. It’s not clear that the F150 has become the Swiss Army Knife it was cracked up to be, but the battery pack does have novel uses that are just being imagined. Like the frunk where the engine used to sit, marketing needs to open it further! (and, for that tailgate party, the frunk is the besotted dessert table).
For Social Good:
More thoughtful ads- depicting the versatility of the electric vehicle might do a social good. Even today, most buyers don’t know that they can use an EV to power up their homes in case the lights go out. That is, providing they have on hand the inexpensive inverter or cables that are needed. Tailgating could make the public more aware of this option and help reduce the impact of large-scale blackouts. It might also help people realize how adding electrical vehicles to the grid can increase energy resiliency and not decrease overall capacity.
For SuperBowl LIX, which will be held in New Orleans, advertisers could promote both energy independence and electric vehicles by setting up EVS on the parking lot and feeding the crowd. They could do this instead of making expensive ads that seem to pit battery power against other vehicles in their lineup.
Electronic!
By the way, if you traveled to see SuperBowl LVIII on a big screen with friends or were lucky enough to be in Las Vegas, you might have seen this electronic road sign en-route:
This transportation message encourages drivers to do their tailgaiting at the event, not on the road. Meanwhile, these “endangered” DOT signs, always a friendly and appreciated reminder, should continue to advise people to take their driving seriously….as well as their tailgate.