A few weeks ago a website popped up that, despite looking like it came from Chevrolet, turned out to be fake. Anyone who pays attention to car news on a daily basis (like us) knew it was fake from the get-go, but that wasn't the point. The point was to get the public excited about the "new and upcoming" Chevy Jolt EV. That sleek and sexy-looking coupe, obviously, was complete bullshit. But the website, chevroletjoltev.com, was astoundingly well done.

People believed it was real. Chevy's marketing engine worked in full gear to get it taken down. But who was behind it? Meet Matt Teske, a longtime EV advocate and marketing professional. In an interview with Transport Evolved, the Portland, Oregon, resident (no big surprise there) said his goal was to simply highlight how easy it is to sell electric cars when they look sexy and stylish, like the new (and real) Tesla Model 3. With its so-called $37,500 starting price, the Jolt EV looks worlds better than Chevy's new and real EV, the similarly priced Bolt. "I wanted to show the world that a good-looking, desirable electric car will generate real buzz and excite customers.

A car is an extension of your personality and lifestyle needs," Teske stated. "A car should make someone say, 'wow, I want that.' Most electrics don't elicit that response right now." He further proved his point when, only after a few hours, the traffic to his site was so immense that the server crashed. Question is whether or not GM, and any other mainstream automaker interested in EVs and not named Tesla, is paying attention here. Bottom line: build EVs that look good, not golf cart-like dorkmobiles.