Almost half (45 percent) of electric car owners fear a shortage of charging points in the near future. This is the result of NewMotion’s Europe-wide EV Driver 2020 survey, one of the largest annual surveys among e-drivers (can be found here as a complete PDF document). Likewise, around half of the respondents (46 percent) stated that, above all, more charging points make charging easier.
The respondents (41 percent) also find access to charging points from different providers with just one charging card to be a significant relief, as it simplifies charging on the go. It is striking that 77 percent of those surveyed have a charging point at home, while only around half (55 percent) have a charging option at the workplace. 53 percent of those surveyed who do not have a charging point at home do not have one at work. The survey also shows that 61 percent of those surveyed who do not have a charging point at home charge their vehicle using a standard socket. However, this is unsafe, as this can lead to excess capacity in the socket or the cable.
“Electric driving is indisputably the future of mobility. We are currently at the crossroads of the energy transition. Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular. This marks the beginning of the next phase of electromobility: comprehensive application. In order to make e-mobility accessible to everyone, the entire industry must mature. It mainly depends on the cooperation between car manufacturers and providers of charging solutions, but also from other companies involved in the energy transition. This is the only way we can successfully shape the promising future of electric mobility. ”- Sytse Zuidema, CEO NewMotion
It is important for electric car owners not to have to carry too many charging cards with them. The reality is different. 15 percent of European respondents hold five cards or more. While e-drivers in Germany have an average of 3.37 charge cards, drivers in the Netherlands need significantly fewer different cards (1.82). The reason for this is probably the spread of interoperability there and that the coverage with charging points is the highest in Europe there.
The charging price is particularly important to e-drivers. 43 percent of those surveyed stated that they knew the price of the charging process before they even started. 37 percent research the exact price before charging their car. Two out of five survey participants experienced an unwelcome surprise at least once: the actual final price differed from the price previously displayed at the loading point.
“The survey shows that charging with just one card and price transparency are the most important things for e-drivers. In order to make e-mobility attractive to a wide audience, the industry needs to improve on these issues. At NewMotion, we are pursuing the approach of creating an open charging network that is accessible to everyone and that e-drivers can use to charge their car anywhere. With our roaming network, intelligent charging solutions and a comprehensive range of services, we want to make charging as user-friendly as possible. ”- Sytse Zuidema, CEO NewMotion
Around half (52 percent) of charging point owners are most concerned with user-friendliness when choosing a charging solution. A third of the respondents (33 percent) mainly pay attention to the price, while 26 percent of the respondents use recommendations from third parties such as car dealers or employers as a basis for decisions.
The Netherlands is also clearly ahead of Germany in terms of coverage with charging points at the workplace. While 72 percent of our neighbors find a charging facility at work, it is only 41 percent in Germany.
Interesting results reveal the question of the main reason for switching to an electric vehicle. As the most important reason for the change, 61 percent of the survey participants cited cost savings, 58 percent switched due to the driving experience. However, only ten percent of those surveyed indicated that they switched to e-mobility for environmental reasons – although 81 percent of e-drivers generally consider themselves to be environmentally conscious.
E-drivers no longer want to switch back
The overwhelming majority of electric car owners no longer want to switch back to fossil fuel drives. 86 percent of those surveyed plan to buy an electric car again – only two percent would switch back to conventional drives. 90 percent of the survey participants would recommend an electric vehicle, while only three percent would not.
The survey participants predict a glorious future for electromobility: 60 percent of those surveyed assume that fully electric driving will be the dominant type of vehicle drive in 2030. 14 and 13 percent of the survey participants see the future in hydrogen or hybrid drives. Only 12 percent believe that fossil fuels will be the primary drive in the future.
Source: NewMotion – press release dated February 19, 2020
