Electric car ownership is the right choice for at least 1.5 million UK households today, according to a new study by What Car?.
That’s the number of multi-car homes in the UK with a sweet-spot combination of off-street parking necessary for home-charging and at least one vehicle that never does more than 100 miles in a single journey. 2310 current electric vehicle owners and a further 23,500 non-EV owners were questioned to understand how they used their cars on an everyday basis.
The research found that 17% of multi-car households have at least one vehicle that never makes a journey of more than 100 miles. Overlaying these numbers with the percentage that has a driveway for home-charging (88%), What Car? calculated that 1.56m households – of the 27m in the UK – could convert to pure electric cars without any compromises today with this figure set to increase as charging infrastructure and electric vehicle range increases in future years.
“Most drivers are aware of the drive towards electrification, but are uncertain whether the current cars and infrastructure can meet their needs: the evidence here shows that a significant proportion of households could make the switch without any compromise, and start enjoying the benefits of EVs – including travelling with zero emissions in near-silence, enjoying significant cost-savings through the year, and the potential for being free from congestion or clean air zone charges” said Jim Holder, editorial director at What Car?
To further support the arguments for purchasing an electric car, a surprising two-thirds of households that already have one, as well as a traditional petrol or diesel vehicle, say they now use the EV as their main vehicle.
2019 has been labelled the year of the electric vehicle, with no fewer than 19 different pure battery powered cars hitting the showrooms. Sales of new electric cars hit a total of 9489 for 2019 at the end of May – up more 60% year-on-year but still less than 1% of the total market – bringing the total number of electric cars on UK roads to around 70,000. New models are being launched with increasing frequency, which suggests that exponential growth will continue.
“While it is clear that there is more work to be done to make electric vehicles even more affordable, and to increase charging and range capabilities so that even more households can own them compromise-free, it is also evident that the manufacturers and infrastructure providers are further ahead in providing answers to consumers’ questions than is widely recognised,” said Holder.
The majority of motorists’ perception of electric car ownership still seems to lag a long way behind the reality, so next time you get a moment look at how you use your car compare that with what some affordable EVs are capable of and have to offer!
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