A UK Department of Transport study – Public Attitudes to Electric Vehicles – is pretty grim reading for EV makers with only 5% of respondents saying they were thinking about buying an electric car or van.
However, only about 900 people were interviewed – the UK has a population of around 67m.
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A solid 56% said they had no thought about buying one and another 14% said they had though about it and decided not to.
Drivers said the most important things considered when buying a car or van were cost (85%), reliability (78%), safety (66%) and comfort (53%).
The most important things putting drivers off buying electric cars or vans were recharging (40%), distance travelled on a battery (39%), cost (33%) and lack of knowledge (16%).
The most important factor that would encourage and EV purchase was cost (37%). Other factors included distance on a charge (20%), recharging (17%) and environment friendly (16%).
Institute of Advanced Motorists chief executive Simon Best said: “It is clear that the government has a long way to go to convince drivers that electric vehicles really are the future.
“On the positive side drivers are not worried about safety or comfort issues, but range anxiety and charging infrastructure remain real stumbling blocks.
“For the good of the environment the IAM want to see quicker roll out of charging points and long term guarantees that the current GBP5000 subsidy will remain in place.”
Nissan UK, whose Leaf is the country’s most popular pure EV, and which has just launched an electric van line, recently told just-auto the UK EV market continued to be “well supported” by the government with incentives such as the GBP230m Plug-In Grant (up to GBP5,000 off the price of the car), no benefit in kind tax on electric vans until the end of the 2014/2015 tax year and exemptions from annual vehicle tax and the London congestion charge.
The automaker also noted the growth in recharge networks from 752 points in May 2011 to 5,731 (and counting) today along with a rise in fast-charge Chademo points from 60 in May 2013 to 232.
The provision of the Chademo points now covers 90% of UK motorway service areas. Nissan said it expected there would be 500 across the country by March 2015.
