The Super Bowl continues to draw ad dollars from many automakers, but not Tesla. Yet in its quarterly earnings report, the automaker mentioned a "Super Bowl Effect" that saw United States orders spike the day after the game.

U.S. gross orders on that day—February 13—were higher than at any point in 2022 to date, according to Tesla.

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The report doesn't speculate on what caused that spike in orders, but it's worth noting that this year's Super Bowl had more EV ads than ever before—just not from Tesla. General Motors, BMW, Kia, and Nissan all had ads, as did charging-equipment company Wallbox. Polestar debuted its first Super Bowl ad.

So perhaps the number of ads stirred general interest in EVs, leading some consumers to the company most associated with them. That's unfortunate for the automakers that shelled out millions for Super Bowl ads, but it may at least point to more interest in electric cars.

2022 Tesla Model 3

2022 Tesla Model 3

Tesla hasn't produced traditional ads—although that hasn't stopped fans from creating them. While the Porsche Taycan inspired an unofficial Super Bowl ad of its own, no automaker can match the attention Tesla has earned without traditional advertising. In addition to fans spreading the gospel, Tesla has benefited from high-profile CEO Elon Musk and a carefully-cultivated image of Silicon Valley tech luster. But traditional automakers are finally trying to catch up.

Five years ago, automakers offered a wide range of "compliance" EVs, but they rarely were advertised outside of their targeted lease areas.

If Tesla gets swept up in Big Game EV interest, so be it. How do you see a wider swath of Americans becoming aware of EVs and Tesla? Let us know in your comments below.