In the UK, 46% of respondents said sanctions on petrol and diesel cars were the main reason for buying an electric car, while 45% cited environmental concerns. The biggest barriers to getting an electric model were given as initial costs, as well as the lack of recharging stations and the concern about how long a car could travel before it needed to recharge.
David Borland, EY’s automotive manager in the UK and Ireland, said he hoped these concerns would start to fade as both infrastructure and batteries improved.
The “vast majority” of journeys are “relatively short,” he added. The Telegraph reported in April that the average battery-powered car can now travel nearly 260 miles on a single charge.
An electric car in the UK has an average battery life of 257 miles compared to 74 miles in 2011, according to the industry’s trade body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The number of vehicles available has also multiplied by 15 to 140, with more than four out of 10 cars on the market now sold plugged in.
Meanwhile, there are more than 30,000 public chargers available, a third more in a year, although the government wants to have 300,000 by the end of the decade.
There is still significant variation: the North West has 5.9 fast chargers per 100,000 people compared to London’s 111. Electric cars accounted for nearly 28% of new car sales in April. The SMMT expects to sell some 289,000 battery-powered electric vehicles in the UK this year.
In May, however, it cut its global car sales forecast for this year from 1.72 to 1.89 million as cost-of-living pressure and chip shortages hit the market. .
Consumer sentiment was close to an all-time low in April as households cut their budgets in the face of rising energy and other costs.
Ms. Bengtsson expressed concern about the “long and complicated” planning implementation processes that are delaying the construction of the electric car charging infrastructure.
He said: “A collaborative approach between charging point operators, local authorities and energy companies is essential if the UK is to meet the demand of current and future electric vehicle drivers.”