Motorists believe ban on petrol and diesel cars will take another 20 years
There is a lack of confidence amongst motorists regarding the Government’s ability to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, according to a new study.
New research has found that two-thirds of motorists show a real lack of confidence in the UK meeting the Government’s ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, with most drivers believing it would be 2052 by the time the country would really be ready for such a ban.
Commissioned by Spark EV Technology, the in-depth study of a thousand targeted motorists also revealed that over half of UK motorists are concerned they don’t have charging facilities where they live, while 64% stated that having reliable information about how much battery charge is left, would be very important when thinking about buying a new electric vehicle.
Justin Ott, CEO and founder of Spark EV Technology, said: “If the UK is serious about banning new petrol and diesel vehicles, we need politicians to step in and address the barriers holding people back from driving an EV.
“EVs need to be affordable, and drivers need to have the confidence that they have enough range to reach their destination and that they will have access to the equipment to re-charge their vehicle when they need to.”
This new research comes as recent media reports suggest vehicle manufacturers and Government officials are in talks to push back the ban to 2035.
Ott added: “To address range and charging anxieties we need onboard range estimations to stop being a ‘Guess O Meter’ and provide the driver with accurate information about how far they can travel before they run out of electricity.
“We highly support the introduction of legislation which insists EVs provide accurate onboard range predictions based on real-world data to ensure they achieve their advertised range.”
Meanwhile, the willingness to adopt EVs across the UK is split, with 83% of Londoners more likely to make the switch by 2030 and those in Scotland and the North East of England less inclined to move over in time for the ban.
When asked to comment on the proposed 2030 ban, a spokesperson from the Department for Transport told EV Powered: “We are making strong progress with ultra-low emission sales growing from 1 in 30 cars with a plug-in 2019 to nearly 1 in 7 so far in 2021.
“The Government’s ongoing support to the 2030 target combined with the range of electric vehicles now available and the rapidly rising number of charge points is only helping to drive demand from customers. Taking this into account and commitments from a growing number of major car manufacturers to electrify by 2030, we’re well on track to meet our target.”
