Survey finds that over half of younger drivers are likely to switch to an electric car in next 10 years
At Nathaniel Cars, we like to keep on top of the latest news about electric vehicles. So, we were interested to read about the results from a survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS is the UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics and a recognised national statistical institute. They collect and publish statistics related to the economy, population and society in general. Their Opinions and Lifestyle Survey asked adults in Great Britain if they were likely to switch to an all-electric vehicle in the next 10 years.
According to the survey, 44% of all petrol, diesel and hybrid drivers said they were either likely or very likely to make the switch to electric in the next 10 years. By that time, we’ll have passed the 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars and will be approaching the 2035 ban on the sale of hybrid vehicles.
Younger drivers are more likely to switch to an electric vehicle (EV)
The likelihood of switching to an EV is even more positive among younger drivers.
52% of 16- to 29-year-old adults who own a conventional vehicle said they were either likely or very likely to switch to electric in the next 10 years.
But it’s not just the younger generation that will make the decision to buy an electric car. 54% of 30- to 49-year-olds said that they were likely to switch to electric in the next 10 years as well.
Numbers of electric cars on the rise in the UK
While petrol and diesel cars still make up most of the vehicles in the UK, the number of cars powered by alternative fuels is increasing. These include electric and hybrid vehicles and, in 2020, 1.1 million (3%) of all cars licensed were powered by alternative fuels.
Of those, 431,661 were classed as ultra-low emission cars. This was around eight times higher than the end of 2015, when there were just 55,000 ultra-low emission cars in the UK.
As these numbers continue to increase, the future of electric cars is looking healthy.
The cost of electric vehicles will match petrol and diesel cars by 2030
The cost of electric cars was the most common reason for drivers unlikely to switch to an EV.
However, according to projections from the independent Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon Budget, the cost of a battery electric vehicle is forecast to be the same as a petrol or diesel car by 2030.
When you also consider the grants that are currently available, electric cars are set to become a lot more affordable.
The UK charging network is forecast to grow
Another common factor against making the switch to an electric car was so-called “range anxiety”.
More than half of the people surveyed by the ONS said that a lack of infrastructure, such as charging devices, was the reason for them not switching to an EV.
By 1 October 2021 there were 25,918 public charging points across the UK. Almost one in five of these were rapid charge points, which can charge an electric car to 80% in as little as 20 minutes.
According to data from Zap-Map, there were nine rapid charge points for every 100km of the major road network across the UK.
This will continue to grow, with the government’s Net Zero Strategy announcing £620m in grants for electric cars and local charging infrastructure.
You can find out more about charging an EV in our Making EV Easy blog, ‘How to charge an electric car’.
It’s time to make the switch to an electric car
It’s not hard to see why over half of younger drivers are likely to switch to an electric car in the next 10 years. There are plenty of reasons, including:
- electric cars being better for the environment
- the costs of electric cars going down
- the range of electric cars increasing
- the network of charging points growing across the UK
You can read more in the ONS article, ‘Over half of younger drivers likely to switch to electric in next decade’.
If you have any questions about our own range of electric cars, the plug-in car experts at Nathaniel Cars are here to help. Just fill in the “Ask our EV Experts” form.
Or pop into Nathaniel Cars’ Cardiff or Bridgend showroom and check them out for yourself.
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