According to a new study by Venson Automotive Solutions, people in the UK are now finding themselves more aware of the benefits of owning an electric vehicle, in the wake of the Coronavirus lockdown.
According to Venson, 45% of the people they surveyed have confirmed that the radical improvement on air pollution across the world (as many motorists began staying home), has made them reconsider their EV ownership plans.
Meanwhile, a further 17% said that the decrease in air pollution only reaffirmed their decision to already make the switch to an electric vehicle.
“Reducing emissions has been a hot topic and a clear government, business and personal target for several years now, but still the growth of electric vehicle (EV) ownership has been slow. This is despite evidence that transport is responsible for 23% of global emissions, and driving petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles contributes 72% of the transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Venson exec Alison Bell.
Of the 45% that said they are reassessing their EV options, 19% said that their next company car or private car will be battery-powered, with the remaining 26% saying they intend to drive an EV within the next 5 years.
To put things into perspective, an EV attitudes survey conducted in 2019 showed that 31% of participants weren’t planning on making a switch to fully electric power for another 10-15 years. This just goes to show how quickly public perception can change.
Other findings show people wanting further investment in the charging infrastructure, the introduction of more Clean Air Zones in major cities, plus legislation that supports businesses moving to fully electric company cars or commercial vehicle fleets within the next 5 years.
“In recent years we have seen the cost of electric vehicles fall, battery efficiency increase, and the network of both public and private charging points grow significantly. All of these steps have boosted consumer confidence in an EV future, however whilst ownership is increasing, we still have a long way to go. Having said that, fleet managers looking to introduce fully-electric fleets could find employees more open to the idea now they have seen the global benefits it could bring to the environment,” concluded Bell.