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

  • September 16, 2019
    Inrix: micromobility could replace half of US metro car trips
    Nearly 50% of all car trips in the most congested US metropolitan areas are less than three miles and could be replaced by micromobility services, says Inrix. The company analysed data points from connected devices to rank the top US, UK and German cities where micromobility services (shared bikes, electric bikes and electric scooters) could have the most significant impact on replacing vehicle trips. Findings from the National Association of City Transportation Officials estimated that scooters are
  • October 28, 2019
    Yotta: we need EV charging map to drive change
    When it comes to finding the location of EV charging points, we need to be thinking about the needs of ‘smart communities’ as well as smart cities, says Chris Dyer of Yotta
  • October 21, 2016
    Caltrans takes the long view of transport
    Caltrans’ Malcolm Dougherty took time out of his schedule at ITS America 2016 in San Jose to talk to ITS International about current and future challenges. As director of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) since mid-2012, many would say that Malcolm Dougherty has one of the best jobs in transportation. Caltrans is one of the most progressive and innovative transport authorities, implementing policies to encourage cycling, piloting new
  • April 7, 2017
    EV manufacturers to focus on range, recharging and inductive charging
    The electric vehicle (EV) market is booming, according to Frost & Sullivan researchers. Approximately 25 new electric vehicle models are likely to be launched later this year with Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3 being the most anticipated. The availability of incentives and subsidies in the market, significant investment by original equipment manufacturers, new entrants, and lower battery prices are factors propelling double-digit growth. However, the lack of standardisation in charging technology, absence