May 2020
Featured in this insight: Automotive
Air pollution reductions due to Covid-19 steering more drivers to electric cars: With so many negative headlines about the impact that COVID-19 is having around the globe, a positive story is always welcome news.
A recent survey by Venson Automotive Solutions has found that 45% of the motorists polled are now reconsidering ownership of an EV after seeing the radical improvement of air pollution around the world due to lockdown restrictions.
In addition, almost a fifth (17%) of respondents who have already made the switch from a diesel or petrol vehicle said that the environmental improvements recently witnessed have confirmed that their decision has been the right one.
Looking at the 45% of drivers who are now considering an EV, almost a fifth (19%) said their next privately owned car or company car would be an electric vehicle, with more than a quarter (26%) saying within the next five years they will make the change. When the same question was asked last year, two-fifths (41%) said they were considering an EV, however, almost a third (31%) said it would be another 10–15 years before they took the leap.
The research also showed that motorists want to see more done by the Government as well as businesses to get the roads ready for mass EV ownership, including the provision of national charging facilities (62%), clean air zones introduced in cities (38%), and new laws to support businesses switching their car fleets to electric vehicles in the next half decade (38%).
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