Nissan reveals European EV drivers are driving further than ICE drivers

In a blow likely to stun electric vehicle critics the world over, new research commissioned by Japanese automaker Nissan has found that European EV drivers annually travel on average more than 14,200-kilometres, 630-kilometres further than their internal combustion engine (ICE) compatriots.

Nissan commissioned the research which surveyed 700 respondents from the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and the Nordics (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) earlier this year.

The survey found that EV drivers travelling on average over 14,200-kilometres each year, while European ICE drivers averaged 13,600-kilometres.

Nissan published the results of the survey ahead of World Environment Day, which was this past weekend on June 5, in an effort to encourage worldwide awareness and action.

Key amongst the results of the survey, then, were the myths busted by the findings, including not only the distances traveled, but the reality of many of the over-hyped concerns raised by EV critics and alarmists.

Prime among these over-hyped concerns were the 47% of European ICE drivers surveyed who believed the main advantage of a petrol or diesel car is greater range autonomy.

Similarly, of the 30% of European ICE drivers who said they were unlikely to consider a fully electric vehicle, the majority of 58% said the biggest concern is that EVs have low driving range autonomy.

Some 56% of European ICE drivers who are not considering an EV currently believe there are not enough charging points, 56% think that EVs are more expensive to buy than an ICE equivalent, and 48% believe there are not enough public charging options.

In the same vein, other factors that would potentially convince European ICE drivers to buy an EV included 38% who said greater range, 32% who said they would be tempted by ease of charging, and 30% who claimed that a better charging infrastructure would help them make the switch.

However, 70% of European EV drivers explained that their experience of range autonomy has been better than they expected.

Similarly, over a quarter of European EV drivers say that running out of charge (28%), charging time (30%), and EV cost (31%) are amongst the biggest myths of EV driving.

“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,” said Arnaud Charpentier, Region Vice President, Product Strategy and Pricing, Nissan AMIEO.

“It is no surprise that people now drive EV further than ICE cars. We are confident that with more EV on the road dispelling myths, range anxiety will soon be in the past.”

“With EVs on the cusp of wide-spread adoption, we can be confident these positive findings should help change the opinion of the ICE drivers for whom a degree of range anxiety is still preventing them from converting to electric mobility,” Arnaud added.