Press Release
Renault’s Plug Inn Platform, Built by Publicis Sapient in Partnership With Publicis Conseil, Wins Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Award for Transportation and is Named a Finalist in Apps Category
The Airbnb for EV charging, Plug Inn connects EV drivers to charging stations, creating a new model of sociability, self-help and energy efficiency
FRANCE, Paris, May 14, 2024 — Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, today announced that automaker Renault’s Plug Inn platform, which the company built and launched last year through its partnership with Publicis Sapient and Publicis Conseil, won in the “Transportation” category and was named a finalist in the “Apps” category for Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards.
Even with the proliferation of electric vehicles, many EV drivers are anxious about traveling long distances due to the scarcity of charging stations. To address EV drivers’ range anxiety, Publicis Sapient, in partnership with Publicis Conseil, built for its client Renault an innovative digital solution called Plug Inn, a peer-to-peer platform that connects EV drivers in France to home and business charging stations. The platform enables EV drivers to locate, reserve and navigate to a recharging point, creating a model of new sociability, self-help and energy efficiency.
"In launching Plug Inn for our client Renault, Publicis Sapient built the Airbnb for electric vehicle charging. It’s an honor that the innovative platform was recognized as a ‘Fast Company World Changing Idea,’” said Publicis Sapient CEO Nigel Vaz. “This recognition is a testament to the transformative power of innovation in our journey towards sustainable mobility. It underscores our commitment to developing a new business model that creates an optimal and seamless customer experience, drives sustainability forward and helps reshape the future of transportation.”
This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 50 winners, 127 finalists, and 172 honorable mentions—with health, education, energy, and AI among the most popular categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners from a pool of more than 1,300 entries across climate, social justice, wellness, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. Several new categories were added this year, including beauty and fashion, health products, health services, materials, and science and technology. The 2024 awards feature entries from across the globe, including the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and Madagascar.
“I was struck this year by the global sweep of the honorees,” says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “It’s endlessly inspiring to see how the world is coming together to devise inventive solutions to our most challenging problems. We need ideas from everywhere, and this year’s World Changing Ideas Awards are an extraordinary encapsulation of the innovation and creativity that is so abundant around the globe.”
Fast Company’s Spring 2024 issue (on newsstands May 21, 2024) will unveil some of the world’s most creative minds and pioneering organizations that are seeking to disrupt the status quo. The solutions cover everything from renewable energy storage and waste in the fashion industry to a building made entirely from recycled concrete and a fridge that’s solar-powered and designed to run off the grid.
In 2023, Renault’s Plug Inn took the Grand Prix in Creative Strategy at the Cannes Lions festival.
ABOUT PUBLICIS SAPIENT
Publicis Sapient is a digital business transformation company. We partner with global organizations to help them create and sustain competitive advantage in a world that is increasingly digital. We operate through our expert SPEED - Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering and Data & AI - capabilities, which combined with our culture of curiosity and deep industry knowledge, enables us to deliver meaningful impact to our clients’ businesses through reimagining the products and experiences their customers truly value. Our agile, data-driven approach equips our clients’ businesses for change, making digital the core of how they think and what they do. Publicis Sapient is the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe with 20,000 people and over 53 offices worldwide. For more information, visit publicissapient.com.
ABOUT THE WORLD CHANGING IDEAS AWARDS: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and bold concepts that make the world better. Judges choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to work on solving the problems that affect us all.
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
Media Contact
Bonnie Olivier
bonnie.olivier@publicissapient.com