Electric Car Driver Demands, Desires, & Dreams — Netherlands, Norway, Germany, & France Edition
We recently surveyed EV drivers in four major European EV markets in order to learn more about their experiences as well as desires and requirements for future EVs. Those markets are the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, and France. Surveys were collected in two main ways — through EV-enthusiast websites and groups (mostly CleanTechnica.com) and through random sample surveys conducted by SurveyMonkey for a fee. This new report* conveys the findings of these surveys, separating them for comparison.
Most respondents had two or more vehicles at home. However, a significant portion of the respondents, 30–50% depending on the country, had only one car in the household — an electric vehicle.
The vast majority of respondents indicated that they planned to buy an electric vehicle when they buy their next automobile. Across countries, current EV owners most commonly indicated that they planned to buy a Tesla next — either the Tesla Model 3 or Tesla Model Y, with the former winning in some markets and the latter in others. However, despite being much more dispersed between the remaining choices, a large portion of respondents did plan to buy a non-Tesla next.
Depending on country and survey, approximately ⅕ to ½ of respondents compared the EV they now own with a fossil fuel vehicle before making their purchase.
In terms of driving range, EV buyers now expect more than 350 km (200 miles) of range almost across the board, and many expect more than 400 km (250 miles) or 480 km (300 miles) of range.
Additional features, findings, and charts communicating the data are found in the remainder of the report. A report preview is here.
Survey Populations
For this year’s EV driver surveys and reports, aside from simply collecting aggregated European data, we collected data from 4 European countries directly. Those countries were the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, and France.
The surveys were even conducted in the native languages of those countries. Surveys of Tesla owners and non-Tesla fully electric vehicle owners were conducted separately in order to better understand which findings were the same and which different for the rather different types of EV owners.
Whereas we published another report focused on results from North America and the UK, this report is focused on the findings of these 4 countries — the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, and France.
We collected data from EV owners in two ways. We published the surveys on CleanTechnica and collected some data from different owner groups (Tesla owners and non-Tesla EV owners) in each country individually. We also paid Survey Monkey to do professional, random sample surveys in each country (one survey in each of these four European countries). The findings will be reported separately — alongside each other — in this report.
Importantly, the random sample surveys included people who owned or leased plug-in hybrids, whereas our direct survey findings only included results from people with a fully electric vehicle. The charts for the surveys administered through CleanTechnica.com are labeled “CleanTechnica Reader Surveys,” whereas the charts for the surveys administered through SurveyMonkey’s paid outreach are labeled “Random Sample Surveys.”
The largest portion of respondents indicated they had two or more vehicles in the household. However, approximately 30–50% of respondents indicated they were living in one-vehicle households. That contrasted with around 15–17% one-vehicle households among US & Canadian respondents and 21–38% among UK respondents.
For more from this new EV driver report, check out the preview, buy the report for $3,000, or watch CleanTechnica.com closely as we trickle out additional findings in the coming weeks and months.
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*CATL and Volta generously sponsored this report. However, they did not influence or even get to preview what was written in the report. Here’s a bit more about these two EV-ecosystem companies:
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (“CATL”) is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of lithium-ion power and energy storage batteries, with businesses covering R&D, manufacturing and sales in battery systems for new energy vehicles and energy storage systems. In 2018, the company’s sales reached 21.31 GWh worldwide, which was leading in the world (according to SNE Research).
Founded in 2010 out of a passion for advancing transportation, Volta has mastered the art and science of developing cutting-edge electric vehicle charging networks. Volta is accelerating the electric vehicle movement by providing seamless, simple, and free charging experiences. Thoughtfully located along the paths of our busy lives, Volta chargers are the most used in the industry. With the support of forward-thinking brand partners, Volta delivers free charging solutions to real estate owners, power to the electric vehicle community, and impactful brand stories to everyone.
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