EV salary sacrifice and fleet management specialist, Fleet Evolution, is working with Aston University on a research project to investigate drivers’ perceptions around electric vehicles.
The study, which is open to anyone, including fleet and transport managers, company employees, drivers and private individuals, will be published in the new year when participants will be sent a copy of the report on request.
The study, carried out by university researchers, looks at current perceptions around electrification and is designed to gauge views on electric cars and charging infrastructure, as well as looking to highlight gaps in current product ranges and charging networks.
It delves into whether participants’ cars are currently powered by petrol, diesel, hybrid, electric or hydrogen, and asks how many miles are typically driven, including how many times a single journey over 150 miles is made.
The research also looks at the likelihood of a new car buyer selecting an electric car as their next replacement vehicle and investigates the reasons why people hesitate to select an electric car, including range anxiety, cost, performance, availability of public charging and ease of home charging.
The study also questions how much it costs in terms of home charging to cover 1,000 miles in an electric car, and asks respondents for their perceptions on the running costs of an EV compared with a petrol or diesel car.
The research also looks into drivers’ attitudes to commuting within Clean Air Zones where charges were imposed on certain vehicles, and asks whether they would be prepared to switch to an EV to avoid the charge or whether they would decide to pay the charge instead.
And with the government’s plans to abolish ICE cars by 2030, the survey asks whether drivers intend to switch to EVs ahead of the deadline or whether they will continue to buy petrol or diesel cars for as long as they can.
Anyone interested in participating in the survey is can click here (https://fleetevolution.surveysparrow.com/s/Electric-Car-Market-Perception/tt-466447
Fleet Evolution founder and managing director, Andrew Leech, said: “There are still plenty of misconceptions around EVs, particularly the availability of charge points and the extent of the charging networks. One respondent said that there were no public chargers near his location, but when I Google mapped it, there was a 50kw charger just a three-minute walk away.
“There is still a general lack of knowledge about EV charging, the costs involved, the ranges that can be driven and the costs involved. We hope this study will highlights some of the misconceptions around EVs and help increase awareness and knowledge around the process of going electric, and we will be publishing the results to help that education process.”
To try and help businesses make charging more widely available, Fleet Evolution is currently offering free installation of two-port chargers at the office car park of any customer with more than five of its cars on the fleet.
“That way, employees without access to home charging can charge their vehicles for the one or two days a week they now go to the office,” added Leech.
