First of its Kind: Zero Labs
Written by Regena Reyes | Contributors: Kate Magoc, Jamie Ortega, Jordan Stiller
When you hear the phrase “classic car” what comes to mind? Is it peeling off into the sunset in a Chevy El Camino? Riding to the beach with some buddies in a Ford Bronco? Or that fixer-up-er that lives rent free in your garage because it has seen you through all of life’s twists and turns?
Many modern drivers see classic cars as risky and unreliable gas guzzlers. Classics often get sold for scrap or traded in for sleeker, “techier” cars, many of which increasingly use electric or hybrid energy sources. Brands market new cars as safer and more eco-friendly, exiling their classic predecessors to museum exhibits and car shows, especially for climate-conscious drivers who want to reduce their carbon footprint while benefiting from the advanced technology these newer vehicles offer.
Classics may not be top of mind for the average modern driver, but there are still 18 million enthusiasts who cherish their vehicles and the precious memories that they embody. (Hagerty Insider, 2020) For these drivers, classic cars represent decades of American automotive history and car culture that are at risk of being forgotten.
Zero Labs addresses this exact tension. While classic cars may be past the height of popularity, they certainly have more life to live. Using the world's first complete electric platform, Zero Labs converts gas and diesel vehicles into premium classic electric vehicles (PCEVs). Now, classic car enthusiasts — and people who love the gas or diesel car they already own — have an option that lets them continue to enjoy the vehicles that have been with them through all life’s milestones, while joining the march toward carbon neutrality.
Image courtesy of Zero Labs
〇 Brand
Bringing the past into the future.
Zero Labs frames its premium classic electric vehicles (PCEVs) as an opportunity for classic car enthusiasts to hold onto the vehicles that they love, and everything those vehicles represent, without opposing global initiatives toward carbon neutrality.
To appeal to their audience, Zero Labs uses voice as its primary brand lever. A palpably familiar and selectively irreverent voice evokes senses of nostalgia and longing for an era in American car culture that conjures images of driving across open roads with your best friends or the love of your life, ideally both. This voice disarms customers who may be sensitive about having their prized vehicles dubbed “obsolete”, making them more receptive to the global shift toward electric vehicles. With Zero Labs, classic car enthusiasts can have “the past [they] love” without sacrificing “the future we need”. (Zero Labs, 2023)
〇 Experience
Classic experience, modern standards.
PCEVs appeal to those who cherish the experience of driving an American classic. While Zero Labs offers a fully electric version of the classic Ford Bronco and Land Rover Series III 109 Wagon, the truly revolutionary offering is their complete electric platform that converts the original gas or diesel versions of select classic cars into fully electric versions of themselves without dramatically altering the body or interiors.
The complete electric platform preserves everything that customers love about their classic cars while removing all of the downsides to owning those vehicles. In addition to adhering to global emissions mandates, converted vehicles have more horsepower, are safer, and are more reliable than their originals, making the experience of owning and driving one better than ever.
〇 Business model
Car culture as climate impact.
Zero Labs appeals to classic car enthusiasts and collectors who have deeply rooted emotional ties to their vehicles. For this market, Zero Labs is a steward of the past that intentionally escorts American classics to their very own place in the modern automotive arena.
Zero Labs understands that the most sustainable car is the one a person already owns. As they transition existing vehicles from gas or diesel to electric at scale, Zero Labs reduces net carbon emissions on two dimensions: first, by decarbonizing the total population of existing vehicles; second, by decreasing the demand for new electric vehicles and the associated carbon footprint of new vehicle production.
We have observed that firms in other industries with high carbon footprints are also looking to transition existing infrastructure into climate-ready formats. Radiator Labs decarbonizes heating systems in legacy buildings with an energy management platform that reduces radiator energy consumption by 45%. (Radiator Labs, 2023) Zero Labs and Radiator Labs combat climate change by transitioning existing infrastructure into more sustainable versions of themselves.
〇 Design
Giving cars many lives.
The complete electric platform is a modular take on circular design for the automotive industry. As the first system allowing owners to swap out major vehicle systems with ones not made by the original manufacturer, Zero Labs sets a precedent for vehicular design. They intentionally address the ways that vehicles may need to evolve to extend their life as emissions standards and consumer preferences fluctuate.
The Zero Labs platform represents a shift in the way we think about the lifetime value of any vehicle. Cars no longer have to reach their end. With the modular, circular design that Zero Labs employs, the end of a vehicle’s lifetime can now mean the beginning of a new one.
Image courtesy of Zero Labs.
〇 Data
Real-time data in service of the classic experience.
In addition to fully electric platforms and modern components, converted vehicles feature a digital gauge cluster and central network system that Zero Labs uses to update vehicles remotely.
The central network system monitors vehicle performance, creating error logs that help Zero Labs identify areas to improve the platform technology, optimize technical operations, and support customers in real time. All of which further extends the life of already beloved vehicles. Zero Labs has access to data on everything from thermal regulation and battery management to impact sensor data and security monitors. Creating a fully digital picture of platform performance that uses modern data and information methods to safeguard the classic driving experience.
〇 Technology
Making climate tech an everyday affair.
Electric vehicles are far from novel, but converting gasoline and diesel into electric is a game changer. The Zero Labs technology reframes gas and diesel cars as “clean energy heroes”, proving that any vehicle can become an environmentally-sustainable option. Sustainable brands typically cite their technology as a key selling point for new versions of the same products we buy time and again. Zero Labs deviates from this model by using its technology as a tool to advance an existing object into a future-ready format. And promoting consumer behaviors that value improving an object that already exists over buying something completely new.
Regena Reyes | Senior Consultant, Experience
Regena is a human-centered designer who uses participatory research methods to deconstruct problems and reframe them into services, systems, and experiences that people need and love.
Regena’s superpower is bringing transparency and order to complex problem spaces. When she is not nerding out at Proto, you can find her coaching volleyball, teaching design, and learning German.