According to a study, nearly half of British drivers are not considering an Electric vehicle in the next ten years.
U.K.-based insurance company NFU Mutual research shows that 45% of Brits would not consider buying an electric vehicle (EVs) in the next ten years. A study of more than 1,000 British people by the insurance firm was made, with a number expressing their concerns about range and charging.
According to the study, 58% of the respondents said their main concern for ruling out EVs is battery range. Another 58% expressed the lack of EV charging stations in the UK as the main reason for not considering electric vehicles. Around 44% said that the time it takes to charge an EV would put them off.
The research also showed regional disparities. 47% of the respondents in London had worries about the lack of charging infrastructure. In comparison, 70% from the East of England stated the same reason. Similarly, 68% of drivers in Wales and 65% in Northern Ireland also said that the lack of charging stations would put them off.
Some 48% of respondents from London said that range would be an issue buying an EV, compared with 72% in the East of England. Another 70% from Wales, 69% from South West, and 68% in Northern Ireland cited the same reason.
However, of those respondents, 29% would consider buying an EV in the next five years, further 16% said they would think about it in the next ten years. Meanwhile, several 7% said they would consider a hybrid vehicle instead, not entirely an electric one.
Andrew Chalk, car insurance specialist at NFU Mutual, said:
“There are reasons to be cheerful in this research, with 52 percent of Brits prepared to consider switching to an electric or hybrid vehicle within ten years.” According to Express UK.
“And although a significant proportion of the population would not currently consider switching to an electric vehicle, we believe that this number will surely fall if public charging infrastructure continues to grow at the current rate – particularly in less densely populated areas.”
Additionally, he said: “As the country’s leading rural insurer, we know that the disparity in charging infrastructure revealed in the Department for Transport (DfT) figures is clearly felt by those in less-provisioned or rural areas – and this is backed up by our research.”
He also said that consumers’ worries about switching to EVs should be addressed. “Transport accounts for 27 percent of UK greenhouse gas emissions, so as a country, we need to ease those fears if we are to reach net-zero by 2050.”
