The primary electrical car advert to air in the course of the Tremendous Bowl was in 2019, when Audi ran its “Cashew” advert teasing a “thrilling future” wherein the model turns a 3rd of its fleet electrical by 2025.

By Tremendous Bowl 2022, the variety of EV adverts jumped to 6—roughly mirroring the expansion of the class between 2019 and 2022. Final 12 months, whereas the ratio of EV adverts to gas-powered automotive adverts held regular, there have been half as many complete auto spots.

In 2024, the stoop continues. Simply two of the 4 automotive adverts (that we’re conscious of on the time of writing) function EVs: a BMW spot starring Christopher Walken and a heartfelt Kia advert that includes a younger ice skater and her grandfather. Barring a shock on Sunday, this marks the primary dip in EV-featured spots as a proportion of the whole auto adverts since 2019.

Electrical headwinds

That doesn’t come as a shock to analysts, because the business has confronted a sequence of challenges within the final 12 months.

Normal Motors, Ford and Audi lowered EV manufacturing targets and delayed investments, citing slower-than-expected demand. New necessities inside the Inflation Discount Act that automobiles bear closing meeting in North America imply that the EV tax credit score applies to a smaller variety of presently out there automobiles and has sophisticated the rebate system. Even Tesla, the class chief, is bracing for layoffs.

“The market share of electrical automobiles will proceed to develop, however it’s going to develop at a slower price than in earlier years,” mentioned Brian Moody, govt editor at Cox Automotive, dad or mum firm of Kelley Blue E-book and Autotrader. “Persons are nonetheless curious about electrical automobiles. In truth, in 2023, greater than 1 million new electrical automobiles have been offered—the primary time we’ve ever hit that quantity.”

Slightly below 2% of automobiles offered within the U.S. have been electrical in 2019. Whereas it had already been over a decade since Tesla offered its first Roadster EV in 2008, the Elon Musk-led firm would triple its new automotive deliveries over the subsequent three years—thanks largely to the recognition of the Mannequin 3. By 2023, EV gross sales reached 7.6% of all automobiles offered within the U.S., they usually’re predicted to prime 10% in 2024.