Fear of Charging Overtakes Range as the Biggest Barrier to EV Adoption
- 37% of private car buyers are not buying an electric car due to concerns about public charging points
Concerns about charging are now the biggest barrier to electric vehicle adoption, new research shows.
Concerns about inadequate public charging infrastructure have overtaken concerns about range as the biggest barrier to EV adoption among private car buyers, ahead of cost and quality.
Nearly two-fifths of private car buyers cited concerns about charging infrastructure as the main reason why they would not consider opting for a pure electric car, according to an exclusive survey by What Car? revealed.
A recent survey by leading EV charging point app ZapMap shows that the public charging network is as important as ever.
Half of EV owners use public charging at least once a month, even if they have a home charger installed at home.
While the average satisfaction score for the UK public charging network in ZapMap’s survey was just 64 out of 100, three in five respondents indicate that public charges have improved in the past year.
Concerns that public charging infrastructure is inadequate have overtaken range concerns as the biggest barrier to EV adoption among private car buyers
The second biggest concern for the 2,000 motorists who responded was the high cost of new electric vehicles; 34 percent said this, according to the What Car? questionnaire.
Meanwhile, reach dropped to third in the rankings, as it was the top concern for only 25 percent of buyers.
In general, buyers are open to purchasing an electric car. Only one in seven of the market’s buyers looking to replace their car next year say they will never buy an electric car.
However, to get many buyers across the finish line, the government will have to intervene: 61 percent of people would consider an electric vehicle if the government were to implement one of four financial incentives.
Buyers are open to purchasing an electric car. Only one in seven of the market’s buyers looking to replace their car in the next year say they will never buy an electric car. Which car? research found
Claire Evans, What car? Consumer Editor said: ‘It is now vital that the Government takes action to encourage people to switch to electric vehicles.’
The most popular of these actions (chosen by 18 percent of respondents) would be to make charging public EVs cheaper by reducing VAT from 20 percent to 5 percent.
This would bring costs in line with VAT on domestic electricity, eliminating the ‘on-ramp divide’ between those with a home charger and those without parking facilities at their properties, and who are therefore dependent on the public network.
The second most compelling incentive would be the reintroduction of a government subsidy for EV buyers.
About 16 percent of the panel said this would encourage them to drive electric.
A further 15 per cent said they could be tempted if EV remained exempt from the £410 annual vehicle excise charge for ‘expensive cars’.
Electric car owners will have to pay road tax from April 2025, albeit at a much lower rate for brand new purchases.
However, a study has found that seven in ten models will be subject to the premium charge on all cars priced over £40,000, which applies on top of the standard VED rate from years two to six.
An across-the-board reduction in electricity prices, made possible by a tax cut, would encourage 12 percent of people to consider an electric car as their next car, the study found.
61% would consider an electric vehicle if the government implemented one of four financial incentives – from reducing VAT on public charges to reintroducing an EV subsidy
From the research by What Car? it also showed that four free measures would encourage half of motorists to make the switch.
About 27 percent of people would consider an electric car if new public charging laws were tightened to make networks more accountable.
Mentioning which hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars will be exempt from the reintroduced ban on non-electric cars in 2030 would influence 14 percent of buyers to go electric, and 8 percent would be influenced by a limit on the pre-authorization bank card charges levied by public charging networks.
Evans added: ‘The measures that need to be taken include reducing VAT on charging public electric vehicles, accelerating the expansion of the public charging network by removing red tape, tightening legislation on electric networks to ensure they are reliable and introducing financial incentives for EV buyers, such as lower VAT on new cars and low VED rates on all EVs.”
