Skip to main content

Climate fears driving EV buyers, says Geotab

Reducing their environmental impact is as likely to persuade UK consumers to buy an electric vehicle (EV) as saving money, according to a new survey. Connected vehicle company Geotab surveyed 3,001 consumers on factors that appeal to them in an EV. Four out of 10 respondents are motivated by reducing their impact on the environment - compared to 45% for lowering running costs and 37% for lowering tax costs. Regional findings showed climate was a priority for nearly half the participants from the So
October 15, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Reducing their environmental impact is as likely to persuade UK consumers to buy an electric vehicle (EV) as saving money, according to a new survey.

Connected vehicle company Geotab surveyed 3,001 consumers on factors that appeal to them in an EV. Four out of 10 respondents are motivated by reducing their impact on the environment - compared to 45% for lowering running costs and 37% for lowering tax costs.  

Regional findings showed climate was a priority for nearly half the participants from the South West of England and 45% of those living in North West and South East. At the bottom of the ranking, climate was selected by 37% of respondents from London and the East of England.

The research also suggests a surge in sales demand, with 60% of those planning a car purchase expecting their next vehicle to be hybrid or fully electric.

However, four out of 10 participants are concerned about range anxiety and nearly a third worry about where they would charge their vehicle.

Despite this, 97% of respondents have daily round-trip commutes of under 100 miles which - according to Geotab - is below the average 224-mile range of 3883 Jaguar I-Pace, 838 Nissan Leaf, 2453 Renault Zoe, 994 Volkswagen e-Golf and 8534 Tesla Model X.

Edward Kulperger, Geotab vice president Europe, says: “This data shows not only that improvements to infrastructure are vital to encourage EV adoption and that the industry needs to do more to educate consumers about how far the technology has come, but that the British public are primed to buy into electrification.”

Related Content

  • March 26, 2020
    'Half of US' fears Covid-19 on public transit
    Nearly half of 1,000 Americans who took part in an opinion poll feel riding on public transit poses a high health risk due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
  • June 25, 2018
    Cost benefit analysis ‘can’t be carried out with a cookbook’
    There is far more to working out the worth of a project than simply filling in a few headings on a spreadsheet. David Crawford surveys some recent thinking from the US and Canada. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) “can’t be carried out with a cookbook”, warns US analyst Professor Robert J Brent. “ You can’t just get out a spreadsheet and fill in the data for all the headings. Each transport CBA should have something that is distinctive, in terms of location (for example, for a rural area), types of user
  • February 17, 2017
    Autonomous driving and emissions regulations fuelling 48v power-net
    The launch of autonomous vehicles and a host of electronic components render the current 12-volts (v) battery nearly unusable, says a new report by Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of the Global 48v Power-net Market. To meet stringent global emissions regulations and offer a basic semi-autonomous system, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must electrify components while offering a bigger source of power. Therefore, OEMs plan to migrate to a 48v power-net and use two voltages. Heavy-duty, power-h
  • October 29, 2015
    Support for speed cameras remains high – but some drivers need convincing
    A national survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has shown that although most drivers support speed cameras there are big variations across the country – and Londoners and people in the north-east appear to show higher levels of resistance than most. The survey polled 1,000 drivers of all age groups across Britain and asked “It is now common for the authorities to use speed cameras at the side of the road to identify vehicles involved in speeding offences. How acceptable do you think this i