2:53 pm, September 18, 2017
MORE than half of British motorists expect their main car to be electric within the next five years, according to a major new survey.
The poll of 1,000 car owners was conducted to mark the launch of Total EV showed that 51 per cent of Brits are expecting to make within five years, with more men than women driving the change.
Northern Ireland, where charging infrastructure is more developed, has the highest proportion ready to switch to electric at 77 per cent.
However, the survey also showed that there are still barriers to ownership and that the Government and the automotive industry has work to do to convince every motorist. The biggest problems found in the survey were vehicles (27 per cent), lack of charging infrastructure (22 per cent), driving range (20 per cent) and lack of knowledge (21 per cent).
Businessman Daniel Green, the founder of Total EV, said: ‘The world is moving away from petrol and diesel to electric. The public wants it, the Government wants it, and the environment needs it. But where are the manufacturers and how and when should drivers get involved? There are confusing offers, bewildering charging options and genuine anxiety around range, depreciation and when to jump in.
‘Total EV is the one-stop shop people can go to for answers and to express their views.’
He added: ‘This survey confirms what we already suspected – that Britain has woken up to the benefits of electric driving. The industry needs to wake up fast.
‘There are already 110,000 plug-in cars across the country but as technology and infrastructure improves over the next few years and more manufacturers enter the marketplace offering more choice to consumers, we expect to see a transformation in the number of EVs on Britain’s roads.
‘This is the biggest thing to happen to motoring since Henry Ford.’
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