Perceptions of plug-in electric vehicles are generally more neutral than polarised: many drivers are not opposed to them, but are not yet convinced that they correspond to their everyday reality, according to a survey by the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) on Thursday 26 March.
Electrification is progressing, but varies from one country to another and from one social group to another. Users of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are disproportionately from high-income backgrounds and with higher levels of education.
They are more likely to live in homes with parking spaces that allow private recharging, such as detached houses or owner-occupied homes with private car parks, and are more likely to be part of households that are more heavily into ‘clean energy’ - for example, solar panels, heat pumps and domestic batteries.
On the other hand, households living in flats and drivers dependent on street parking are at a structural disadvantage when it comes to switching to electric, even if their attitude is not negative.
Affordability is a key factor: many consumers expect electric vehicles to sell at a price comparable to that of internal combustion engine cars, with a median price of around €20,000. A significant proportion of those surveyed would only consider very low prices, thanks to the second-hand market and targeted subsidies. The people questioned also have high expectations of the vehicles’ range, generally between 400 and 600 km and often more than 600 km.
Read the survey: https://aeur.eu/f/le5 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)