New research from Baringa Partners shows that people may be put
off buying electric cars because they don’t want to wait more
than a quarter of an hour to charge them when out and about. The
specialist energy consultancy is warning that this impatience may
require the Government, charging infrastructure providers and car
manufacturers to launch a public awareness campaign about when
and how owners of electric cars are likely to charge their
vehicles.
Baringa’s new report, Is the UK ready for electric
cars?, reveals that more than a third (36%) of people say
that the battery taking too long to recharge is a key reason not
to consider buying a 100% electric car. On average, people say
they are willing to wait a maximum of just 13 minutes to fully
charge an electric car at a service station. This is far shorter
than the 50 minutes it typically takes a standard 50kW rapid
charging point, and more in line with what would be possible from
a 350kW ultra-rapid charging point.
However, the report notes that this impatience barrier could be
due to a major misconception around how electric cars will be
charged. Just under half (48%) of people say they are unlikely to
buy a 100% electric car because they are concerned about not
being able to travel far enough with one charge to reach the next
charging point. But the average car journey in the UK is just 8.7
miles1 and most existing 100% electric cars have a range of
around 100 miles, with newer models able to travel even further
on one charge. This means that the majority of electric car
journeys could be completed without the need to recharge.
Oliver Rix, Partner in Energy & Resources at Baringa
Partners, comments: “Concerns about charging are often cited as a
barrier to further growth of the electric car market, and our
research shows that there is considerable work to be done.
“As a first step, the Government, charging infrastructure
providers and car manufacturers urgently need to work together to
correct the misconception drivers seem to have about how reliant
they will be on public charging infrastructure. Most journeys are
far shorter than the average range of an electric car, so there
will be little need to charge at service stations or other public
stopping points. Instead, the majority of people will charge
their cars at home most of the time.
“However, improvements to public charging infrastructure are
still important. Given people’s stated reluctance to wait for
long to recharge an electric car, ultra-rapid chargers should
certainly be considered, particularly for the motorway network,
and for areas without off-street parking where drivers may not be
able to charge at home. But we must remember that technological
improvements leading to bigger, lower cost batteries could reduce
dependence on them, and different pricing models – in particular
the option of paying a bit less but waiting a bit longer - are
also likely to impact consumer behaviour. Rather than relying on
assumptions about how people will use electric vehicles, it’s
vital that policymakers consider how behaviour may change and
what an electric future will really look like.”
Notes to Editors
The findings in this release are based on the results of an
online survey, conducted by Opinium. Our results have been
weighted to nationally representative criteria.
The survey was of 2004 UK adults, aged 18 plus. This took place
from the 27th to 29th March 2018. The full report can be found
here:
Is the UK ready for
electric cars?
Reference 1: Department for Transport
National Travel Survey 2016
