Government targets ‘too conservative’ as 1 in 5 plan to embrace electric cars

Electric vehicle uptake may increase over the next few years to levels far above UK Government targets. In research undertaken by Baringa Partners, nearly a fifth of people said they would consider buying an electric vehicle for their next car, double the Government goal for electric cars to make up nine per cent of the fleet by 2020. However, concerns over purchase price and range mean nearly a third of people believe electric cars will never overtake petrol and diesel vehicles. Baringa is urging the Gover
July 20, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
Electric vehicle uptake may increase over the next few years to levels far above UK Government targets. In research undertaken by Baringa Partners, nearly a fifth of people said they would consider buying an electric vehicle for their next car, double the Government goal for electric cars to make up nine per cent of the fleet by 2020.


However, concerns over purchase price and range mean nearly a third of people believe electric cars will never overtake petrol and diesel vehicles. Baringa is urging the Government to work harder to ensure continued support for the industry and remove barriers to purchasing electric cars.

In Baringa’s survey, conducted online by Opinium in June, 18 per cent of respondents said they are likely to consider going electric next time they buy a new car. As 8534 Tesla’s Model 3 car begins rolling off the production line and 609 Volvo vows to make only electric engines from 2019, Baringa believes the tide could be turning for electric vehicles.

The research also found that 32 per cent of people believe electric vehicles will never overtake petrol and diesel cars. This is partly driven by the fact that 55 per cent of people are worried about not being able to travel far enough to reach the next charging point, an issue the Government has pledged to address. People are also put off by the cost (54 per cent) and concerns about a lack of charging points near home (53 per cent).

Oliver Rix, partner at Baringa Partners, said: “Electrification, taken together with the potential for autonomous vehicles, means we are on the verge of a revolution in personal transport. The next generation may find it hard to believe the level of pollution and risk we currently submit ourselves to on our roads.”

He added: “The cost of electric vehicles has been a turn-off since the start. The withdrawal of grant schemes isn’t going to help with that perception. But we’re now at a point where they’re becoming much more affordable; indeed, we predict that electric vehicles will become cheaper than diesel cars by 2022 and on a par with petrol ones by 2023. We’re also seeing improvements in the range of electric vehicles.

The Government is also planning to install more charging points around the country, which Baringa says may help soften concerns over infrastructure. However, to really boost the number of electric vehicles on UK roads, it believes the Government will need to produce a convincing long-term road map to demonstrate how it intends to ensure that an acceleration in uptake can lead on to mass deployment. Says Rix, “Bolder and clearer policies are needed to address issues such as the impact on grids, integration with the energy system on a large scale, and interplay with autonomous vehicles, which could fundamentally change car use. These policies will, in turn, impact on the uptake of electric vehicles and electricity network infrastructure.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Use of AI, unlocking innovation - and new political leaders: our experts pick out 2025's key drivers
    December 30, 2024
    Is predicting the future doomed to failure? Not when ITS International's experts are on the case...
    Read More
  • Trust is the key, says Cubic’s Crissy Ditmore
    August 7, 2019
    Trust is the key to encouraging people to take up shared mobility and MaaS services, thinks Cubic Transportation Systems’ Crissy Ditmore. She tells Adam Hill why sharing must be the way forward Crissy Ditmore is on the move. Director of strategy at Cubic Transportation Systems since September last year, she lives in Boise, Idaho, but doesn’t see a great deal of the city as she is “90% of the time on the road”. This is appropriate for someone whose business is working out how to get people from place to p
    Read More
  • Technology, social media bigger perceived threats than drink-driving, IAM finds
    November 6, 2015
    Motorists are now more worried about the dangers of distraction posed by technology and social media than drink-driving, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorist’s (IAM) first major survey into safety culture. The Safety Culture Index report was launched today by the IAM, and is a study of more than 2,000 UK motorists’ attitudes to driving safety and behaviour on our roads. IAM claims it will form a definitive baseline to track changes over time, providing the opportunity to examine how attitudes
    Read More
  • The FIA’s formula for future mobility
    March 11, 2016
    The FIA’s Region I president Thierry Willemarck tells Colin Sowman about his organisation’s campaigning work for the rights of road users and mobility for all. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile may be best known as the FIA and the governing body for world motor sport - particularly Formula 1 - but its influence spreads far wider than the racetrack. The organisation was founded in 1904 with a remit to safeguard the rights and promote the interests of motorists and motor sport across the world. No
    Read More

Highlighted Content