Volkswagen launched its Electrify America division this week with a mission to promote the growth of electric cars. The company was formed as part of the emissions scandal settlement where the carmaker agreed to invest $2 billion over 10 years to educate consumers about electric vehicles (EVs) and promote their use while building its infrastructure across The United States. But the catch is, the initiative isn’t allowed to promote or directly benefit its parent brand.
Electrify America kicked off with the “JetStones” radio, TV and digital ad campaign using theme songs from The Flintstones and The Jetsons Hanna-Barbera cartoons to compare how gas-engine cars are from the Stone Age and the electric cars are the future. The unbranded video features vehicles from several automakers without naming anyone specifically and shows how performance from electric cars compare to their gas-fueled counterparts. In fact, the specific car used in the debut ad happens to be a Chevy Bolt.
The ad was created as part of a $45 million public awareness initiative and is the first step in the “Plug Into the Present” integrated campaign. A press release states that the video spot is just the start of how the initiative will demonstrate electric car features in an effort to grow their public appeal. This approach will ultimately benefit all electric car manufacturers, including VW rivals such as GM and Ford.
Despite the Jetsons theme, the company’s goal is to establish that electric cars are the present, with high accessibility, not a product from the far-off future. Electrify America is also promoting the growth of the electric fast-charging network which has stations in major cities and other high-traffic areas. Volkswagen is prohibited from adopting any kind of charging standard that keeps other EV brands from using them.
