Evida Power designed, developed and manufactured high-quality and cost-effective lithium-ion battery packs for the electric vehicle (EV) market. Evida’s products are custom engineered to suit client needs and delivered complete with battery management systems (BMS) and CAN integration.
Background: Lauching a new provider of lithium-ion battery packs for the EV market
A portfolio company of Terra Venture Partners (www.terravp.com), Israel’s premier clean energy venture capital fund, Evida is a US-registered company with operations in Europe, Israel and China, and aspires to become a leading enabler of electric vehicles, providing battery pack design, EV integration services and customised financial solutions to enable the uptake of commercial electric fleets.
Evida was looking at a number of agencies with automotive experience but they most were focused on consumer markets. Evida wanted exposure to other automakers and selected Vitis PR for its B2B automotive experience and the agency’s central location.
- As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, Evida required a dedicated PR team to manage its UK launch and promote its growing portfolio of high-value contract and client wins
- A new player in the UK automotive and EV sectors, Evida wanted to raise awareness nationally and with local media near its UK base in the Midlands.
- UK PR team was engaged to work under the direction of the international marketing team, Marketing First (based out of Israel)
PR plan and delivery
- Evida broke the usual start-up mould by launching production of their 8 kWh battery packs at the Geneva Motor Show with a five-year, US $250 million contract with German and French electric vehicle manufacturer Mia Electric. Vitis PR publicised that news before following its coverage with a follow on news piece looking at Evida’s strategic partnership with HaloIPT, worth an estimated 80 million Euros.
- Vitis PR drafted and issued press releases including the Mia contract, Mia production, move to Coventry and attendance at a series of low carbon events. When Evida set up its first UK base in the Coventry, Vitis PR used its close working relationships with the regional press to negotiate exclusive interviews in key titles such as The Birmingham Post and The Coventry Telegraph and a TV appearance on Central News.
- Vitis PR then maximised UK launch coverage through a co-ordinated strategy, securing in-depth interviews and guest articles where Evida discussed the reality of commercial EV fleets, the region’s already-rich automotive heritage and innovations in the EV and automotive markets.
- Vitis also supported Evida at low carbon events, setting up media interviews and also securing speaking opportunities.
Results
- After launching Evida at March’s Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland, Vitis focused on raising the EV battery supplier's profile within the environmental, regional and trade media, achieving print, online and broadcast interviews with Click Green, The Engineer, The Birmingham Post and ITV Central.
- Vitis secured top-tier opinion pieces, profiles and interviews with key automotive publications including Fleet News, Automotiveworld, Greencarcongress, Futurecars, positioning Evida as a market leader within the growing cleantech sector.
- Evida news has been covered in its target publications, such as: Fleet Directory, Driving Green, EV Investor Club, Automotive Design and The Manufacturer.
- Using its initial coverage, Vitis PR won other opportunities to raise awaredness of Evida’s brand and secured speaking opportunities at events including the Low Carbon Expo in Wales and September’s Low Carbon Vehicle event.
Client’s comment
Jonathan Shine, Evida’s Co-Founder and VP of Business Development said: “Vitis PR fit the bill perfectly, bringing clean tech and technology expertise in a range of sectors to the table. Our marketing agency, Marketing First, had previously worked with Vitis PR and strongly recommended the PR team. Vitis PR works closely with our in-house team as well as our internationally-based marketing consultants - Vitis operates as an extension of our business. This way of working showcases Vitis PR’s commitment and dedication to its clients and its ability to deliver on an international scale, so I have no hesitation in recommending them.”