Regardless of your views on the automotive industry turning electric, the inevitability of Electric Vehicles (EVs) becoming increasingly popular will soon turn to a reality. It has always been a question of when, not if, but now it seems that consumers are beginning to think more environmentally for their next car purchase.
A recent Mobility Consumer Index (MCI) survey of more than 1,000 consumers across the UK and 9,000 globally, shows that more than four in ten (41%) of those looking to purchase a car say they would like to buy a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) – compared to November’s MCI, that is an increase of 16%.
And 7 in 10 (71%) of those buyers say they are looking to purchase a ZEV in the next 12 months.
Because of these findings, EV car sales in the UK are expected to soar as we head into 2022 with the best part of potential EV buyers willing to pay premium prices for these ZEVs.
The survey also reveals that:
- Ongoing environmental concerns is one of the top reasons for buying an EV (47% of respondents), with 68% also stating that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness and concerns about environmental issues.
- 48% of those looking to buy a ZEV feel that it is their responsibility to reduce their personal environmental impact, and 45% feel that buying an EV is one way to achieve this.
A statement from UK Future Mobility spokesman…
EY-Parthenon Partner and UK Future Mobility Lead, Charlie Simpson, commented: “The rise of the EV across the UK and the globe is gathering pace, with our latest reports showing that a significant number of UK consumers looking to buy a car will actively consider an EV, up 16 percentage points from November 2020. Rising EV sales have been one of the stand outs for UK car sales over recent quarters and this rise is set to increase.”
“What’s interesting here is that, for the first time, a significant number of consumers claim they are willing to pay a premium for an EV, either due to environmental concerns or an understanding that the long-term costs will likely be lower. This would be a fundamental shift in customer attitudes in what is a mature UK auto retail market and one that will be critical if emissions targets are to be achieved.”
“The rising demand for EV’s in the UK brings a significant challenge for all those stakeholders involved in the successful roll-out of the EV infrastructure – without a cohesive plan there is a risk that car manufacturers, energy companies, government and infrastructure players will all be playing different games. It would be a huge setback if EV adoption in the UK were to be hindered because the key pieces of the jigsaw were not in place to meet consumer demand. There has been significant progress so far in terms of infrastructure roll-out but much more needs to be done to meet likely demand. Driver experience of vehicle charging has to become consistent, convenient and cost effective for the positive momentum to continue.”
