UK motorists not quite ready to embrace the future of electric cars
The Government may be putting forward vast funding in support of electric cars, but it seems that UK motorists are not yet ready to embrace the new technology, according to research commissioned by online car finance specialist Car Loan 4U.
The research, which surveyed 2,000 motorists across the UK, reveals that there are plenty of concerns regarding electric cars, especially when it comes to charging them, and only a small number of motorists either currently own an electric car or are considering buying one in the future.
A hefty 64% would worry about struggling to find places to charge an electric car, while 50% would be put off buying an electric car by the fact that you have to constantly charge them on long journeys.
In fact, just 2% of the motorists surveyed own an electric car, while only 2% are currently planning to buy one soon along with just 16% who are considering buying an electric car in the future.
The research doesn’t stop there though, with 45% worrying that it takes a long time to charge an electric car, and 43% think that electric cars are simply too expensive to purchase.
Car Loan 4U Managing Director James Wilkinson comments: “It seems that despite the Government’s best intentions to encourage more UK motorists to purchase an electric car, we aren’t quite ready to embrace the idea as a nation.
“Electric cars are certainly an ambitious plan for the future, but there is real hesitation among motorists towards buying an electric car, with our research showing that only a small amount of people currently own one and right now, it’s clear that very few have plans in place to buy one in the future.
“Our research also shows that motorist’s main concern with electric cars comes down to the cost, with electric cars being typically more expensive than their petrol equivalent. As well as the serious concerns with the range of an electric car, the availability of charging points is quite rightly a concern too.
“I think that while the Government’s funding is to be encouraged, until these issues are more readily addressed, it becomes a lot harder to encourage motorists to purchase an electric car.”
28% of motorists do think that the Government’s recent funding of £37 million towards installing electric charging points in garages and driveways will help more people drive electric cars in the future, while 28% of motorists also believe that electric cars really are the future.
Electric cars also have one less worry on their side in regards to size, as only 16% considered them to be too small.