Motorists more likely to switch to an electric vehicle in wake of Covid 19

The positive and immediate global impact of the imposed lockdown on the environment boosts motorists’ willingness to drive an electric vehicle a new report finds.

Government-enforced lockdowns around the world, due to Covid-19, are without doubt making life difficult for many, but they are also having a dramatic positive impact on people’s awareness of the benefits to the environment.

45% of those surveyed confirmed that the radical improvement on air pollution across the globe as a result of the demobilisation of transport, has made them reconsider their electric vehicle ownership plans. A further 17% said it reaffirmed the decision they had already made to make the switch to an EV.

Of the motorists who are now reassessing their EV options, 19% said their next company car or private purchase would be an EV, with the remaining 26% confirming they intend to become an EV driver in the next 5 years. In an EV attitudes survey conducted by Venson in July 2019, 41% of people said they were considering moving to an EV, but 31% said that they wouldn’t for another 10-15 years, confirming the intention by many to play their part in protecting the environment has since accelerated.

Alison Bell, Marketing Director at Venson Automotive Solutions, who commissioned the research,  commented: “Reducing emissions has been a hot topic and a clear government, business and personal target for several years now, but still the growth of electric vehicle ownership has been slow. This is despite evidence that transport is responsible for 23% of global emissions, and driving petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles contributes 72% of the transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

The latest survey from Venson also reveals that the public would like to see more done by Government – and businesses – to expedite the take up of EVs once the UK has recovered from the Covid-19 crisis. This includes further investment in the charging infrastructure, the introduction of more Clean Air Zones in major cities and new legislation that supports businesses to move to fully electric company car or commercial vehicle fleets in the next 5 years.

Concludes Bell: “In recent years we have seen the cost of electric vehicles fall, battery efficiency increase, and the network of both public and private charging points grow significantly. All of these steps have boosted consumer confidence in an EV future, however whilst ownership is increasing, we still have a long way to go. Having said that, fleet managers looking to introduce fully-electric fleets could find employees more open to the idea now they have seen the global benefits it could bring to the environment.”