EVs & Corporate Branding
Back in February of 2019 we bought a new furnace…in a hurry. Our furnace went out during a cold snap. The old furnace died at about 5pm. I called my then favorite HVAC contractor. He hustled over to investigate, delivering a prognosis by 7pm. He rightly noted that the 25 year old Kenmore furnace had given its last gasp. It could be repaired, but getting the parts would take days. The wise choice was to replace it outright.
I was thinking ahead to a new AC unit, so I wanted a top-end American Standard natural gas furnace with a variable speed blower. That would allow us to install a high-efficiency, variable speed air conditioner in the future.
It happened that he had exactly what we wanted on stock. It was sitting in a warehouse, ready to be installed in his own home, which was a new build. His crew installed that furnace in our house the very next morning. By 10am the heat was back on. It all happened so fast. While I doubt we got a bargain, he certainly earned our gratitude.
Jump to early 2025. I saw that same company’s branding cruising around the neighborhood emblazoned on a Telsa Cybertruck. It was matte black with just the company logo on all sides. While not unattractive, it was definitely disappointing. It expressed a certain visual aggression.
While I appreciate the environmental advantages of EVs, in 2025 the Cybertruck has become a symbol of something else entirely. Something toxic.
I accept that I might be overly sensitive, but I’d rather not have such parked in front of our home when we’re having our systems serviced. It was not time to our routine service call, so I set the matter aside. American Standard is one of the most popular brands. There are lots of companies that would service them.
Jump ahead another couple of months. This time I see that same company branding wrapped around a Rivian Fleet van like those that Amazon uses. This makes me very happy!
It seems the owner of the company was sufficiently aware of the potential sensitivities of his client base to make a change. Maybe the Cybertruck is still his personal ride. That’s fine with me. The Rivian van is way more practical and doesn’t have the ugly association with Elon Musk.
Maybe there are suburban neighborhoods where the Cybertruck is still considered cool or interesting. Definitely not in our neighborhood. I must remember to ask about the Rivian van when I book our next maintenance visit.