Transport Committee discusses level of consumer interest in EVs

A discussion concerning consumer interest and perspective with regards to electric vehicles took place during the Transport Committee meeting on Wednesday.

Interest in EVs from private buyers has been low due to various concerns from drivers considering a switch to electric.

Steve Huntingford, Editor of What Car? said: “The cars are getting better all the time. The cars are actually very good. But the trouble is the interest isn’t there at the moment amongst private buyers. That is the problem, the cars are over-supplied.

“The cars have been ramping up as if people are going to buy them and actually we’ve seen a drop off in interest. That’s more to do with perceptions, some of them true but a lot of them not true.”

There have been many false claims which have caused concerns about EVs catching fire or damaging roads.

An example of this is the incident at Luton Airport carpark which people assumed was caused by an EV. These claims were a bigger story than stories about the actual cause once it was revealed, said Marc Palmer, Head of Strategy and Insights at Auto Trader.

Range anxiety is a common issue amongst drivers considering a switch to electric. However, although unrealistic ranges could be a real issue, most drivers in the UK drive less than 200 miles per week.

Huntingford emphasised that unrealistic ranges are caused by testing inaccuracies and not manufacturers making false claims.

Palmer suggests consumers are focusing on the negative aspects of EVs. He highlighted savings, convenience and climate as obvious positive reasons to invest in an EV.

He added: “Most car journeys are really short, people might drive their car for 20 minutes or something on any given day. Very few people are doing a continuous journey of 200 to 300 miles.”