91% Of EV Drivers In The UK Would Never Go Back To An ICE Vehicle

Zap-Map in the UK focuses on electric mobility. People can visit its website or use its app to find EV chargers near them but Zap-Map does more. It lets drivers see in advance how much it will cost to recharge their cars using a particular public charger and calculates the cost of charging at home based on local electricity rates and time of use.

In November, it asked 2,000 EV drivers — the group included owners of battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars — in the UK whether they would consider going back to driving a car powered solely by a gasoline or diesel engine. 91% said no way, about 9% said they weren’t sure, and less than 1% reported they couldn’t wait to once again ride around exclusively in a cloud of exhaust gases. 73% of those who took the survey said the electric car they were driving was their first EV. 52% had purchased their EV with the last year. 91% of EV drivers reported they were satisfied

Owners of several electric cars — Volkswagen ID.3, KIA Niro PHEV, BMW 3 Series PHEV — reported they were 100% satisfied with their vehicles. The Tesla Model 3 got a 96% satisfaction rating as did the battery electric KIA Niro. The Hyundai Kona electric scored a 94% satisfaction rating while the Renault Zoe came in at 92% satisfied and the Nissan LEAF at 90% satisfied. Year to date, 9.7% of all new car sales in the UK are electric or a PHEV. In 2019, the number was 3.2%. Back in 2015 it was a barely discernible 1.1%.

Commenting on the latest survey, Zap-Map co-founder Melanie Shufflebotham, said “Our latest poll shows the strong and enduring impact of switching to a clean car. The evidence in favor of electric vehicles grows more compelling with each one of our surveys, even in a year as disruptive as 2020.”

She added, “The challenge for the automotive industry is to take advantage of the opportunities that EVs present, not only in terms of the rapidly expanding range, but also ensuring that sales staff are knowledgeable enough to present the benefits to their customers. At Zap-Map we monitor the growth of the charging network and it’s clear that many of the historical challenges of owning and running an EV have fallen away. The dramatic growth in EV sales in 2020 is one of the good news stories to come out of this difficult year for the car industry.”

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis had this to say. “While the challenge is often convincing owners of petrol and diesel vehicles to switch to an electric vehicle in the first place, this data shows that once people have done so they seldom look back — which is also positive news for manufacturers that are investing heavily in electric vehicles and cleaner technology. While would-be electric car drivers might worry about range anxiety, they should also be aware that the number public charge points is increasing rapidly and infrastructure continues to improve. They should also remember that the vast majority of their journeys are unlikely to be over several hundred miles, meaning that for day-to-day travel, operating an electric vehicle is a clean and cost-effective option.

“These figures show the momentum that is behind getting drivers into electric vehicles, something that is likely to build as we move closer to the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. We are doing our bit in giving drivers confidence they can make the switch, with 80 of our patrol vans now fitted with mobile emergency charging units, and half our fleet fitted with All-Wheels-Up recovery systems, removing the need for drivers to wait for a flatbed if they need a tow.”

As we often say here at CleanTechnica while gathered about the sushi bar after our morning yoga session, “People who don’t like electric cars are people who have never driven an electric car.” My wife and I drive a 2015 Nissan LEAF as our only car most of the year. Yes, it is hardly cutting edge when it comes to today’s electric car offerings and yes it has a face only a mother could love, but we enjoy driving it. It accelerates faster than the Honda Civic it replaced and it’s as quiet as a bank vault while underway. The ride is supple and the hatchback swallows all our stuff with ease. Would we go back to a gasoline powered car? Absolutely not. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.