More than 40 percent of drivers would consider acquiring an electric car in the next five years, but high purchasing costs and the coverage of the charging infrastructure are stopping them from making a purchase, according to a survey by global electrical supply distributors, Rexel, and pollster Censuswide.
Range anxiety is the major concern among British drivers, as 62% of respondents said a lack of charging stations make electric cars seem impractical over petrol and diesel cars.
Another 60% of respondents were put off by the upfront cost of electric cars, which highlights a lack of awareness of the incentives available from the Government to encourage electric car adoption. In January 2011, the government introduced the Plug-in Car Grant, offering a 25% (up to £5,000) subsidy of the upfront cost of an electric car.
72% of drivers said they have never even seen an EV charger. There are more than 3,000 publicly accessible charge points in the UK, but 50% of those surveyed were concerned that they wouldn’t know where to charge their vehicle and 30% of responders said they have no idea who they would go to for advice on electric cars and how to charge them.
In February this year, UK government announced £37million investment in installing home and public electric car chargers, as well as charge points for parking vehicles at railway stations.
[source: Solar Power Portal]
