Even if you don’t know much about electric cars, you will have likely seen EVs charging up at prime locations. Whether that’s in a motorway services, in a shopping centre car park or even in a neighbour’s driveway.
They are quickly, and quietly, growing in popularity, with 195,000 plug-in models now on British roads, although they make up just 0.5 per cent of the country’s overall vehicle fleet.
There are many benefits to them – most notably the fuel saving costs, but also the good feeling that they give you knowing you’re doing your bit to help the environment.
A survey of 2,000 adults by Jardine Motor Group found that less than two fifths would make the switch to electric, with a third not planning on changing to an EV in the next five years. Just 15 per cent said they were going to switch to electric in the next year.
The survey by the large motor group found that buyers wanted EVs to get cheaper, which should be the case with new models such as the Peugeot e-208, Vauxhall eCorsa and Skoda e Citigo. Other concerns were battery life, with batteries known to degrade over time. This was an issue for seven in ten of the correspondents.
Range anxiety remains an issue for many drivers, with 80 per cent saying this was something putting them off an EV. However, with ranges increasingly getting longer, this should become less of an issue.
Alex Brown, head of digital marketing & transformation at Jardine Motors Group, said: “A lot of assumptions have been made around electric vehicles such as lengthy charging times, the buying procedure and the models available to suit everyone’s needs.
“It’s important that motorists get the full facts before completely dismissing the idea of switching to an electric vehicle as there are a number of benefits which go beyond environmental, including cost, health and safety.”
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