Public gives thumbs down to EVs

7 December 2018 2 min read

Volkswagen and Tesco chargepoint partnership 4 — Resistance to electric vehicles is still strong according to a report by Select Car Leasing

THERE might be lots of noise about electric cars – but that’s all it is, says a new study into motoring preferences for new cars.

November new car sales saw a near 25% increase in demand for Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) but it appears UK plc is still unconvinced.

According to leasing provider Select Car Leasing – a member of the Leasing Broker Federation – 60% of motorists are still unlikely to consider an electric car for their next vehicle.

According to a study run by Select, it found the greatest limitations to EV adoption were:

Too few charging stations – almost 47% of those who were unlikely to consider an electric vehicle stated that ‘charging stations are still a little hard to find’.
Electric vehicles aren’t good for long journeys – 2 in 5 people stated that a main limitation of electric vehicles was that ‘the slow recharge time meant that they weren’t suitable for long journeys.’
There isn’t enough choice – 1 in 5 people who wouldn’t consider an electric car stated that the limited choice of make and model were a limitation.
Electric cars are too expensive – 2 in 5 people stated that they feel that electric vehicles are too expensive to buy.
Electric cars aren’t as reliable and have worse performance – 27% of people who were resistant to considering an electric car said that the lack of garages that can service or repair electric vehicles was a factor.

Industry body BVRLA said that fleet industry opinion was united on seeing a future dominated by electric powertrains. However, it said, the big question was not ‘if’ we get there, but ‘how’ and ‘when’.