Electric vehicle (EV) purchasing and ownership is a very complex subject involving issues such as consumer attitudes and behaviour towards transport, the environment and the energy industry, among other things. On behalf of Utility Week, Accent set out to explore these views. It co-ordinated a discussion with “ordinary” car owners, inviting a range of people who had no real experience with EVs but did not reject them outright. Questions were run in a “bulletin board” style, which enabled participants across the UK to post and respond to comments as the discussion evolved.
To start, participants were asked about their cars and their reasons for purchasing a vehicle. No-one initially referred to environmental reasons as part of their purchasing rationale, despite this being on the discussion “agenda”. Most referred to work/leisure requirements, size, reliability and costs. Technology only emerged as a consideration when respondents were prompted, with almost all of them being ”interested in new technology”.
When the discussion moved on to electric cars, the majority of respondents knew “very little”, with a couple of them citing the TV programme Top Gear as a main source of information. Again, only one panellist referred to the “green” credentials of EVs at this point.
Despite generally not knowing much, the perception of EV price was a major barrier for all respondents, with a large majority of them agreeing that this “needs to come down to be a really attractive alternative”.
There were also particular concerns over maintenance issues. The fact that EVs still represent a niche market preoccupies some respondents, while for others, maintenance costs were also worrying, as shown in these responses:
· “I do not know anybody who owns an electric car, so I think I would struggle with any issues and have to do a lot of research”
· “Maintenance is pricey for a normal car, it would be a lot more expensive “
· “Battery replacement costs are crazy if you use/charge them incorrectly”
We then asked for opinions of the government grant for ultra-low emission vehicles (capped at £5,000, to reduce upfront costs by 25 per cent). The few respondents aware of the scheme were unimpressed. One saw it as a way to help “the car industry that has a bad business model”; another said the money “will probably go to people who can afford the cars”.
Of those unaware, some questions were also raised: “I’m afraid I’m not aware of the detail at the moment. Inclined to think if they were sufficiently attractive then everybody would be shouting about them.”
The discussion then went on to explore attitudes towards buying an EV, now or in the future. A large majority would consider purchasing electric cars in the future, when “prices become more reasonable and more charging points are available” and because “petrol costs are rising”. However, the overriding feeling is that the technology is just not mature enough to attract mainstream drivers: ” are still a few years away from being a cost-effective and viable alternative.”
So price falls emerged as the main factor that would convince respondents to consider electric vehicles. However, they also felt that seeing “more of these vehicles on the road after finding out more information about them” would make them more likely to consider buying: “I’d need to be convinced that they were going to be the most common type of car, not become like Betamax, and be overtaken by better technology.”
The next questions considered various scenarios involving them owning an electric car and associated energy-related issues.
All but one participant would be likely to recharge their vehicle at home, this being “the most logical time” for them and “certainly overnight”. All of them “would definitely look for the cheapest time to charge” and were prepared to charge out of peak hours. The general assumption was that this was an activity that took some time. Questions were raised as to the time between charges and the logistics of where the vehicle would need to be parked.
There was a strong perception of the lack of charging points in the UK, with most of them having not “actually seen any charging points while out on the road”.
The concluding questions explored preferences for paying for electricity. Some people preferred pay-as-you-go methods “just as fuel”. Others liked the idea of being billed with their domestic energy bill, although a need to separate out this usage from the general household consumption was voiced. Various reasons were given for this, which included keeping track of costs and billing back to employers. However, concerns were posed by one individual about the risks associated with the cost of the vehicle’s “fuel”, since “household bills have risen, so plugging in a car overnight could have your meter running like a roulette wheel”.
No major preferences were expressed on electricity supplier, with most of them happy to go “for the cheapest offer”, although a few said their current electricity supplier was “the obvious best choice”.
Responses were rather negative to the possibility of having the EV battery used by the electricity network in case of high demand/short supply, given this may affect their use of the vehicle and potentially damage the battery.
However, participants were enthusiastic for the idea of being able to charge batteries wirelessly – seeing this as an advantageous feature: “Yes I think charging the vehicle wirelessly would be the way to go. If you had wires going to your car, what’s to stop some undesirable stealing power from you?”
When prompted to give a timeframe for their potential purchase of an EV, the majority agreed in “five to ten years'” time.
To bring the discussion to a close, participants were asked to consider what the industry needs to address to increase the popularity of electric cars. Responses surrounded the cost-effectiveness of cars, reliability and improvements to infrastructures – in particular the availability and speed of charging points.
“The price needs to be within bands of current cars or an obvious economic argument on running costs to make it appear cost-effective to purchase. The range that can be travelled on a charge needs to be reasonable and the availability of recharging needs to be adequate so that it can be used in much the same way as a petrol car is.”
Rob Sheldon is managing director of Accent
This article first appeared in Utility Week’s print edition of 23 March 2012.
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