A new UK survey shows growing confidence in the switch to EVs aided by the government’s support for the transition.
For those who drive a modern EV, it doesn’t take long to realise that the term ‘Range Anxiety’ is a product of fossil fuel thinking.
Once you switch from wondering “where is the next fuel station that I will have to find?” to automatically plugging-in when reaching one’s home or destination – it goes away. EV refuelling is so easy when 90% or more is done in the car’s downtime and you are doing your own thing.
For longer trips away from home, the growing network of DC fast-chargers makes that 10% or less of charging away from home base eminently possible, especially in jurisdictions like the UK (or Tasmania – as well as parts of mainland Australia) where the network is more mature and EV chargers are placed to allow for multiple recharging options.
In fact, even if the battery is getting too low to make it to a DC fast-charger (an unlikely scenario given the accuracy of range estimates and map systems in current EV choices), then finding a power point to do an emergency top-up is way easier (and quicker) than finding a 4 litre tin, funnel and getting to/from a petrol station.
The death of range anxiety in the public mind has now been borne out in a recent UK survey of new EV drivers. In a survey of just over 3,300 EV owners who purchased their EVs in 2021, it was found that EV owners are becoming increasingly confident about driving longer distances in one trip.
The majority of respondents (53%) said they have driven more than 200 miles (320 km) in a single trip, with over 7% doing more than 500 miles (800 km) in a single journey.
To quote the report: The figure shows that drivers are habitually using their EVs on longer trips, and should put to bed concerns over the range of EVs, at least for the average driver, given that the average car journey in the UK was just 8.4 miles in 2019.
The survey also found very high levels of satisfaction with their choice, with only 1% saying they missed their former fossil-fuelled car.
The UK transport minister (Trudy Harrison) said in response to the findings: “These survey results show that drivers are becoming increasingly confident in making the switch to electric vehicles and I hope this data encourages others to consider going electric as we work towards the UK’s ambitious net-zero targets.
“We’ve committed £2.5bn (Au$4.7 billion) to accelerate the rollout of zero emission vehicles and charging infrastructure across the country, ensuring the transition is as simple as possible for motorists, as we take steps towards a greener transport future.”
As can be seen in this more mature EV market (BEV sales reaching 25.5% in December 2021 and 11.1% overall for 2021) the historical concerns over range and/or other challenges of owning and running an EV are increasingly becoming a thing of the past.
Cost is still a big factor though. While EV prices are falling slowly in line with the economies of scale manufacture, a faster and smoother EV transition is needed to quickly reduce local pollution as well as meet international climate policy commitments, so still needs support.
In the UK, EV subsidies to alleviate the cost barrier are now falling, but they still exist and are targeted at more than just cars. Motorcycles, mopeds, taxis, light commercial vans and large trucks are all targeted in their scheme.
UK policies are also evolving – for instance, where it comes to cars the subsidies are now targeted at cheaper EVs to encourage the import of more affordable ones. The UK is also spending significant amounts on charging infrastructure, as well as mandating the installation of EV ready infrastructure in all new buildings.
These are the sorts of policies that we need here, but are still sorely lacking in compared to overseas jurisdictions. Perhaps something to watch out for (and mark up or down the parties accordingly) in the run-up to the soon-to-come federal election?
Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.