A recent study commissioned by Nissan found that owners of electric vehicles on average travel 630 km (391 miles) more per year than owners of ICE-powered vehicles.
The results are impressive as they show that range anxiety about may not necessarily be a factor of electric car ownership.
“This research reiterates that electric driving is not only a smart option beneficial to the environment but also a fun, exciting, and convenient choice for the owners,” says Arnaud Charpentier, VP of product strategy for Nissan Europe. “It is no surprise that people now drive EV further than ICE cars. We are confident that with more EVs on the road dispelling myths, range anxiety will soon be in the past.”
The study found that owners of ICE vehicles travel an average of 13,600 km (8,450 miles) per year, while owners of EVs travel 14,300 km (8,885 miles) per year. Italian EV owners were the most eager to use their cars, averaging more than 15,000 km (9,320 miles) per year, with the Dutch close behind, moving more than 14,800 km (9,196 miles) per year.
On the whole, EV drivers sound pretty happy about the experience, too. One of the biggest fears keeping people out of EVs is anxiety about charging infrastructure. The study found, though, that 69 percent of EV owners are happy with the current infrastructure. Moreover, of the 30 percent of ICE-powered car owners who are unlikely to consider an electric vehicle, 58 percent cite driving range as their main concern. However, 70 percent of existing European EV drivers said their experience of range had been better than expected.
As more drivers make the switch to EVs in Europe, the infrastructure will be more heavily burdened. At the same time, though, as the market grows, so too will the availability of chargers.
To highlight the fact that European EV owners are less concerned about range than ICE drivers, Nissan has published a series of testimonial videos featuring Leaf owners around Europe, including the owner of the 500,000th Leaf, Norway’s Maria Jansen.