A survey conducted in the UK indicates that almost half of respondents would consider buying an electric car as their next vehicle.
In a joint survey from the AA and British current affairs program ITV Tonight, more than 17,000 people provided their thoughts on electric cars. In total, 47 per cent of respondents said they would consider an EV as their next car, with 49 per cent of women responding to the affirmative compared to 46 per cent of men.
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Unsurprisingly, those living in the bustling city of London were more open to owning an EV, with 56 per cent saying they’d consider buying one. People aged 18-24 were also more likely to consider an EV (60 per cent), with 56 per cent of those aged 35-44 and 48 per cent of those aged 55-64 agreeing with the sentiment of owning an electric vehicle.
It’s not all positive news for electric vehicles, however. Of those who responded to the survey, 82 per cent agreed that electric cars are too expensive, while 58 per cent felt that charging an electric car takes too long. In addition, 49 per cent of respondents said the country’s national power grid won’t be able to cope if everyone switched to electric vehicles.
Those in the UK could be more encouraged to buy an electric vehicle if the costs were brought down and comparable to a petrol or diesel vehicle, the number of rapid charging stations on motorways increased, and there were more charging stations in public areas like supermarkets, leisure centers and shopping centers.
In any case, sales of electric vehicles will need to increase dramatically across the UK in the coming years, as the government wants to ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, including hybrids, by 2035.
