Hybrid and Electric cars (H&E), without a doubt, have reached a new level of growth and development. They are perceived to be the future of automotive and a symbol of pro-ecological accomplishment and innovation that are ahead of the curve. However, there are concerns about the efficacies between the two, raising questions if electric cars are a viable option today or if it is better to upgrade to Hybrids and wait for larger improvements.
These conflicting views in the media have inadvertently led to confusion about which would be the most viable choice, Hybrid or Electric. Our contextual technology powered by Machine Learning and AI, helps us detect thousands of features and accurately measure and glean key insights from texts.
Understanding media content through contextual analysis
The following report is the result of analysis of 13700+ URLs related to Hybrid, Electric, and alternative vehicles in British media from January 1st, 2021 to March 31st, 2021, focusing on four key cluster topics. This complex analysis was carried out through our contextual intelligence.
Car review Articles
As you can see, the Car Review Articles cluster is the biggest media topic around Hybrid and Electric cars. Focused on technology, these articles follow a scientific approach, with constant comparisons, data, and tests, informing readers about cars’ features and specifications.
Apart from features, specifications, technologies, and engines, we drilled down further, focusing on five key clusters within this topic.
This helped us gain a complete and in-depth understanding of the H&E segment in the media regarding reviews.
Launches & News
This cluster focuses on news following press releases and leaks about Hybrid and Electric cars, showing the roadmap of brands regarding the use or disuse of diesel.
In this cluster, our analysis showed that the messaging was more inclined toward business and announcements. The vocabulary was less technical, with a focus on expectations, rumours, and reveals. Electrification plans and innovations occupied a major place.
Charging Stations & Services
Charging stations and services are the two most critical needs for any Plug-in Hybrid or Electric vehicle. This cluster included guides and information related to charging EVs and PHEVs like location, prices, time to charge, and domestic installations, which we analysed to get a context of it.
Through contextual analysis, we found that the news and vocabulary used for this topic were different from other H&E specs to form their own cluster. If reviews gave customers key data to decide between multiple car models, articles about Charging Stations gave them fundamental information about the requirements for having an Electric (or PHEV) car.
Future of Transportation and Cities
This topic in the media provided general information about big city projects for transportation, mainly related to clean technologies and futuristic approaches to transportation.
With non-specific vocabulary about technology, this hub is mostly related to news and general media, with articles that focus primarily on alternative vehicles, not just cars. Also, these innovations, because of their connection with public infrastructure, are strongly connected to public funding.
Conclusion
As there are hundreds of articles published every day, it’s natural for one to get lost in this ocean of information and only consider the perspectives of a few of them. This could result in having insights based on incomplete knowledge. However, contextual intelligence and analysis helped us get closer to understanding the context and gain better insights on consumer interests.
Here are some of the important conclusions we were able to reach on H&EVs in the media and reader perceptions:
- Electric cars are seen as the innovation of the future and a sign of advancement. However, how close we are to this future still remains to be a pressing question.
- The range of electric cars, charging time, and the shortage of charging stations are the main areas of contention in these publications, with an underlying debate over whether cities are ready for these vehicles.
- Despite the discourse, in general, there is increasing interest in the future of electric vehicles, particularly about their prototypes and full electrification plans.
- Hybrid cars, on the other hand, are portrayed as the present, the preferred option over electric cars, with their major disadvantage being the use of fossil fuels as a backup, which is seen as strongly linked to pollution, taxation, and fossil fuel prices.
