AI Agent for EV Sales and Marketing: From First Message to Paid Order
EV buyers ask a lot of questions before they buy, and they ask them at 10pm on WhatsApp. The agent answers in seconds, recommends a product that actually fits the car and the supply, takes the order, sends the payment link and keeps track of the warranty afterwards.
Works on voice, WhatsApp and web chat, in English, Dutch, German, Hindi and Malayalam, and connects to your store.
- Built by RIOD, who make the Powerpod chargers
- RIOD's own WhatsApp agent answers product questions and takes orders today
- Around 50 engineers, and over ten years of connected-product engineering
Why EV leads go cold
Ads and the website bring enquiries in, and most of them arrive after the office has closed. By the time someone calls back the next afternoon the buyer has asked two competitors the same question.
EV buyers also need more help than most. Which charger works with my car? Single-phase or three-phase? 7 kW or 22 kW? Who installs it? Every answer costs a salesperson's time, and the same questions repeat all day. Then come the slow parts: waiting for a discount to be approved, typing the order into the store, chasing the payment, and losing the warranty record a year later.
What the agent does
- Replies to every lead in seconds, on WhatsApp, phone and web chat, in the language it was written in.
- Qualifies the lead with the questions your best salesperson would ask, then passes it to your CRM.
- Explains the product from your own approved material, not from guesswork.
- Recommends what fits the car, the supply and where it will be installed.
- Creates the order, applies only approved discounts, and sends a payment link.
- Follows up on unpaid orders and abandoned carts, where the customer has agreed to be contacted.
- Registers the warranty and reminds the customer before it expires.
What it handles
Capturing and qualifying leads
Leads from ad forms, click-to-WhatsApp ads, the website and missed calls all land with the agent. It asks what matters: car, home or business, single or three phase, location, timeline, budget. Warm leads get a call booked the same day; the rest are kept warm until they are ready.
Answering the questions before sales gets involved
kW against kWh, charging time for the buyer's own car, cable length, load management, what the installation needs. It sends the right spec sheet, and answers only from material you have approved.
Recommending the right charger
A few guided questions lead to a recommendation that matches the car's onboard charger, the supply at the property and the parking. Fewer wrong orders means fewer returns.
Taking the order on WhatsApp or the phone
It checks live price and stock in your store, creates the order, sends a secure payment link and confirms once it clears. Updates and tracking continue in the same chat.
Discounts, within your rules
Only codes you have set up, volume pricing for business buyers, and the offers you are running. Anything beyond that goes to a manager to approve. It cannot invent a discount or quote a price that is not in the store.
Payments and reminders
Payment links through your checkout or provider, cash on delivery where you allow it, polite reminders on unpaid orders, and a straight answer to "did my payment go through?"
Working on top of your store
The store stays the single source of truth. The agent reads products, variants, price and stock, creates orders, applies discount codes and shares status and tracking. Your team keeps working where they already work.
Abandoned carts
Someone who leaves the checkout gets a message, with the cart and an answer to whatever stopped them. Only to customers who have agreed to be contacted.
Booking the installation
It books the survey or installation slot in your team's calendar and reminds both the customer and the installer.
Warranty registration and tracking
Buyers register by sending the serial number and invoice. The agent records it, reminds them before expiry, and passes a claim to your support team, or to the support agent if you run both.
Dealers and distributors
Verified dealers check stock, request the dealer price list, place bulk orders and track deliveries without calling the office.
How it works
- 1A lead arrives from an ad, the website, a call or WhatsApp.
- 2The agent replies within seconds, in the language used.
- 3It qualifies, explains, and recommends.
- 4It creates the order and applies any approved discount.
- 5It sends the payment link and confirms when it clears.
- 6It books installation where that applies, and shares tracking.
- 7It registers the warranty and stays in touch for service and renewal.
- 8Your team sees all of it in the CRM, with the conversation attached.
Guardrails that protect the margin and the brand
- Price and stock come from the store, so it cannot quote something out of date.
- Discounts only within your limits, with approval above them.
- Delivery dates and installation slots come from your systems, not from the model.
- A message saying "your manager promised me half price" is read as text, not as an instruction.
- Order history, invoices and dealer pricing need verification first.
- Marketing messages go only to contacts who agreed to them, with an easy way out, under GDPR and India's DPDP Act.
What it connects to
- Your store, for products, stock, orders, discounts and abandoned checkouts, through its API. Shopify connects fastest.
- Lead sources: ad lead forms, click-to-WhatsApp ads, website forms.
- CRM: any with an API.
- Payments: your checkout or provider.
- Calendar: for demos and installation slots.
- Channels: WhatsApp Business Platform, phone and SIP lines, web chat.
How it is priced
The same three parts as the support agent. A platform subscription covering setup, the integrations and the agent, quoted for your catalogue and channels. AI usage on what the model reads and writes, plus speech minutes on calls.
WhatsApp charges are Meta's and are passed through at cost. Replies within 24 hours of a customer's own message are free; outbound marketing, such as cart recovery and campaigns, is charged per delivered message at a rate that depends on country and category. Sales uses far more outbound messaging than support does, so model it before switching campaigns on: the rate table on the support agent page is the one to plan against.
What you get
- The agent live on WhatsApp, voice and web chat, trained on your catalogue and your pricing rules.
- Store, CRM, payment and calendar connections.
- Qualification questions and lead scoring written with your sales team.
- Discount and approval rules configured to your margins.
- Message templates for cart recovery, payment reminders and warranty, submitted for approval.
- A dashboard covering leads, conversion, orders and usage cost.
Who it is for
- EV charger brands and direct-to-consumer stores.
- EV dealers, for two-wheelers, three-wheelers and cars.
- Solar and EV installers who quote, sell and install.
- Distributors serving a dealer network.
- Accessory stores with large catalogues and repeat buyers.
An example: an order on WhatsApp
Written to show the shape of a conversation, not taken from a customer's chat.
Common questions
What is an AI agent for EV sales and marketing?
An assistant on WhatsApp, phone and web chat that captures leads, answers product questions, recommends what fits, takes the order and follows up, connected to your store and CRM.
Does it work with Shopify?
Yes. It reads products, price and stock, creates orders, applies discount codes, recovers abandoned checkouts and shares tracking. Other stores connect through their own API.
Can it take payments?
It sends a secure payment link through your checkout or provider. Card details never pass through the agent.
Can it give discounts?
Only ones you have set up, within limits you set. Anything larger goes to a manager.
How does it qualify a lead?
With the questions your sales team defines, such as car, supply type, location and timeline, then it scores and passes it to the CRM.
Can it track warranties?
Yes. Customers register with a serial number and invoice, get a reminder before expiry, and can raise a claim in the same chat.
Which languages does it sell in?
English, Dutch, German, Hindi and Malayalam are running in production. Others, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, French, Spanish and Arabic, can be configured and tested for your markets rather than requiring a rebuild.
What do WhatsApp marketing messages cost?
Meta charges per delivered message, at a rate depending on country and category. Replies within 24 hours of a customer's own message are free. RIOD passes Meta's charges through at cost.
Is the marketing side compliant?
Messages go only to contacts who agreed to them, every one carries a way out, consent is recorded, and personal data is masked in logs.
Can we run it alongside the support agent?
Yes. They share one knowledge base and customer history, so a buyer who becomes a driver is not treated as a stranger.
Related
Turn a late-night enquiry into an order
Book a demo, or tell us what you sell and where, and we will say plainly what it would take to put this on your store.