Half of British consumers are considering an electric vehicle in next five years

Of those who don’t currently own a hybrid or EV, 46% are seriously considering buying an EV in the next five years.

The survey by professional services company GHD, shows this figure rises to 66% if current barriers are reduced. Moreover, young people and new drivers are particularly keen to embrace the EV revolution.

All charged up

While  UK government recently announced a ten point plan prioritises EVs, the survey finds the challenges are inhibiting this still. Of those  interested in buying an EV, 47% responded that they were not confident there is a reliable local charging infrastructure. This was particularly high among those living in rural and suburban areas – 46% and 52% respectively.

Meanwhile, 36% express a lack of confidence in their ability to charge an electric vehicle at home. Interestingly, urban and suburban dweller show the greatest concerns  (37% and 38% respectively). However, in city centres2 or rural areas it falls to 31% and 28%.

Garnering support

GHD would like to see the government prioritise both the funding and proliferation of accessible charging infrastructure across the UK. There will be an ongoing requirement for close collaboration between the central government, local authorities, distribution network operators (DNOs) and the private sector.

Rolling out the infrastructure needs to consider not only the uptake of the vehicles, but also the behaviours of vehicle owners. EV use, and when and where they will be charged is key. This is variable, but there needs to be greater understanding and accessible provision, standardisation and affordability in time and money.

Further highlights from the survey include:

  • 15% of UK respondents belong to a household that already owns an electric or hybrid vehicle; this is behind Singapore (21%) and the US (16%) but ahead of Australia (7%), New Zealand (8%) and Canada (8%)
  • Of those that don’t, 15% would definitely buy one in the next five years; 51% would seriously consider it, although two out of five of these believe there are currently too many barriers to driving one
  • In the UK, those aged 18-35 are most likely to buy an EV
  • Appetite in the UK is also higher among those living in city centres or urban areas, at 57% and 49% respectively
  • Of those who expressed any interest in buying an EV, 47% said that they were either not at all or not very confident about having access to enough reliable charging infrastructure locally; this is second lowest level of confidence of all the countries surveyed, just behind Australia at 48%
  • UK also had second lowest level of confidence in ability to install a charger at home, with 36% being not at all or not very confident (Singapore was the least confident at 37%)

International change

The international survey conducted by GHD among over 8,000 consumers in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. In this way it provides insight into how changing attitudes and behaviours will shape the way we power our future. In the UK, 1,004 consumers were surveyed.

“It is clear that we are entering the era of the electric vehicle,” comments Dr David Maunder, Technical Leader – Future Energy, at GHD. “However, there are perceived obstacles that remain a handbrake on consumer uptake”.  However, he continues stating he believes many of the issues are already being removed. This “should see a rapid uptake of this infrastructure in the coming five years, which will help drive the roll-out”. He adds that “behavioural changes in public consumption and travel can be factored into these perspectives” . 

GHD’s full whitepaper – “The World of Energy Post-COVID: How changing attitudes and behaviours will shape the way we power our future” – can be found here.