Study: Brits love, want to buy electric cars. Is that a good thing?
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Well, this could be a pretty big deal. A new study by the Royal Automobile Club Foundation found that as many as 6.75 million British drivers are thinking about or could consider buying an electric vehicle - once they become available, of course. RAC surveyed 1,000 motorists over two weekends this month and asked the question: "Would you consider or are you planning on purchasing an electric car within the next five years?" Twenty percent picked either "Yes, would consider" or "Yes, planning on purchasing an electric car." We're right there with you, says the UK government, which will offer incentives worth up to £5,000 for EVs starting in 2011.
All good news, right? Not so fast. The RAC points out that 20 percent of 33.8 million drivers means there could be a lot of people who want but can't buy an EV. They say, "The RAC Foundation has discovered that by the Government's own reckoning electric vehicles won't be available on the mass market until at least 2017, leaving millions of potential buyers frustrated."
The RAC Foundation director, professor Stephen Glaister, said:
What the Government is in danger of doing is putting the cart before the horse. It is actively promoting the purchase of electric vehicles long before there is any chance of manufacturers making them widely available. It has gone out of its way to encourage people to make green choices, yet these choices are not yet realistic. [...] The RAC Foundation fully supports the introduction of green vehicles. But electric cars are not the short-term solution. What the Government should be doing is improving the road network and encouraging manufacturers to refine existing technology. That means increasing road capacity to cut congestion and CO2 emissions; focussing on producing leaner petrol and diesel engines; and making smaller and lighter cars.
Full details after the jump. In 2007, RAC came out against the London Congestion Charge, saying it would lead to more driving. Last year, their pet cause was opposing 20 mph speed limits.
[Source: RAC Foundation]
PRESS RELEASE:
ELECTRIC SHOCK FOR GOVERNMENT OVER GREEN CAR PLAN
As many as a fifth of Britain's 34 million motorists are planning to buy an electric car within the next five years or would consider doing so.
A GfK NOP survey for the RAC Foundation suggests 6.75 million drivers are thinking about buying a vehicle powered solely by batteries.
The poll results should be welcome news for the Department for Transport which last month announced an incentive scheme that would see grants of up to £5,000 being offered to purchasers of electric powered cars from 2011.
But the plans are set to backfire.
The RAC Foundation has discovered that by the Government's own reckoning electric vehicles won't be available on the mass market until at least 2017, leaving millions of potential buyers frustrated.
Commenting on the findings, the director of the RAC Foundation Professor Stephen Glaister said: "What the Government is in danger of doing is putting the cart before the horse. It is actively promoting the purchase of electric vehicles long before there is any chance of manufacturers making them widely available."
"It has gone out of its way to encourage people to make green choices, yet these choices are not yet realistic."
"Even by the Government's own analysis, this form of environmentally-friendly transport will not be on the mass market for another eight years - and even that assumes a major breakthrough in battery technology in the meantime."
"Ministers' thinking on green technology is all over the place. They talk of incentives of up to £5,000 for prospective buyers of electric cars from 2011. Yet at that stage there will be almost nothing in the showroom for people to purchase."
"What's more, the same announcement talked of a mere £20 million being spent on a national charging infrastructure, but only last week the Mayor of London acknowledged that at least £60 million would be needed to provide such a network in the capital alone."
"And all this comes even before you ask how the electricity to power these phantom vehicles will be produced - for the next decade (before new nuclear power stations are built for example) the answer will almost certainly be by burning fossil fuels."
"The RAC Foundation fully supports the introduction of green vehicles. But electric cars are not the short-term solution. What the Government should be doing is improving the road network and encouraging manufacturers to refine existing technology. That means increasing road capacity to cut congestion and CO2 emissions; focussing on producing leaner petrol and diesel engines; and making smaller and lighter cars."
* The survey of 1,000 motorists was carried out over the weekends of 9th/10th and 16th/17th May 2009 by GfK NOP.
* When asked, "Would you consider or are you planning on purchasing an electric car within the next five years?" 20% answered "Yes, would consider" or "Yes, planning on purchasing an electric car".
* According to the DfT National Travel Survey 2007 there are 33.8 million driving licence holders in Great Britain.
* On 16th April 2009 the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform launched the Government's vision to promote ultra low carbon transport over the next five years.
* Ministers said: "Consumer incentives will be introduced in 2011 to coincide with the expected mass introduction of electric and plug-in hybrid cars to the market. Consumers will be able to receive help from the Government worth in the region of £2,000-£5,000 to allow for the maximum choice of which car they buy."
* However on page eleven of the document 'Ultra-low carbon vehicles in the UK' (also published in April) the Government acknowledges mass market, electric vehicle technology won't be available until 2017 at the earliest.
* Less than 0.1% of the UK's 26 million cars are currently electric.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
flabby 8:31PM (5/28/2009)
I disagree. I demand for electric cars will drive the market.
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Lad 9:11PM (5/28/2009)
How many wouldn't buy a $20,000 4 place sedan BEV that would go 200 miles at highway speeds with a 10 year battery? Dreaming my way into the future!
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jharlan 10:10AM (5/29/2009)
2017 is a long way off. The demand is there, and like narcotics, if the demand is there, there will be supply.
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John Pelletier 12:23AM (5/29/2009)
the nifty trick about the english ;) they have trains if you want to go far. they feel that 60 miles is a long distance to drive, seriously (at least the ones i know, and they are not just greenies). most towns of any population have a multi-time-day train service and those that don't, live close enough to one that an electric to the train station is possible. so 200 miles on a charge, that takes care of pretty much ALL driving, not just commuting. you want to go further? thats why there are trains and pretty darn good ones at that (despite what they will tell you, when amtrak is all we got most everything is better)
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Mark 10:32AM (5/29/2009)
Agree 100%. This is something Americans may not get. I am originally from across the water in Ireland and driving 100 miles is quite rare. The majority of people live withing 10 miles of their jobs and EVs would suit a lot of people, even those living in the countryside.
Gas here in Italy is about $4 a gallon at the moment and that is cheap. People generally prefer smaller cars too, as they are easy to park and good for weaving in and out of traffic. The speed limit is generally 50kph in cities so EVs are perfect.
Scatter 1:12AM (5/29/2009)
One thing we don't need is more roads and for the RAC to claim it'll cut emissions is just lies. They know full well it'll increase transport emissions. The number of cars will grow to fill the available road space.
The government shouldn't have to do anything to get the manufacturers to make high efficiency vehicles - the fact that the entire industry has come close to collapse should be sufficient spur.
As for EVs, I'm very very happy to see such high consumer demand. Over to the vehicle manufacturers now. As John points out above, EVs are particularly suited for the UK thanks to the combination of short journey distance and good public transport. I'd say 150 miles would be good enough but if they can make 200, so much the better :)
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kert 3:01AM (5/29/2009)
Well, pipe this to Mitsubishi who is launching MiEV in a month or two in Japan and in November 2009 in UK.
http://gwiz.myfastforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2458
Subaru Stella is not far behind.
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jboy 6:48AM (5/29/2009)
I googled the average price of petrol and diesel right now in the UK. I cannot blame them for wanting electric cars. Strange enough, the UK used to not have the highest prices in the world, but now they are really close.
I highly doubt the labor government will let this lucrative tax source go...even for a green vehicle. I see a mileage (or kmage or whatever they have) tax in the UK within 10 years.
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cczmark 1:26AM (5/30/2009)
Well I'm one of those 20%. We had a Smart car as our second vehicle which we used for approx 90% of our journeys (short trips to work, shopping, gym, etc). It was great, but I'd much prefer an electric one. A range of 60 miles is plenty. Powered by my house solar panels and wind turbine. Personally I can't think of a single reason why I'd want to buy a gas/petrol car rather than electric for this type of use.
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jim 9:21AM (5/29/2009)
There's a saying about the English that they view 100 miles as a long way, an accident of geography I suspect. But that attitude is perfect for early generation, mass market EV's. If the demand is there the market will respond and common usage will drive technology improvements.
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David Martin 3:49PM (6/10/2009)
The fastest penetration should be in countries like Denmark and Israel, where cars are taxed highly and waiving the duty until they are established will create an instant market.
For very small countries like this the range is fine, and with tax of around 180% on a new vehicle and expensive petrol it is a no-brainer.
For countries like the UK, delivery vehicles and commuter vehicles for London avoiding the congestion charge would seem to be the early opportunity.
There is plenty of market to ramp up production and reduce costs.
The US is one of the toughest markets, with low gas prices and long distances, and is unlikely to be a leader in pure EVs for this reason.
They may have better luck with hybrid's, but I suspect natural gas vehicles may be the next big thing in the States.
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Dave K. 2:37PM (5/29/2009)
Have been to Ireland and England on vacation and I'll agree, wonderful public transportation (both rail and bus) and even met some with no driver's licence, something that's hard to imagine for an American.
I can easily see that limited range would be no big deal over there, everything is also much closer together and the roads are very narrow and crowded, I rented a mid-size Ford Mondeo and felt it was too large for the roads.
It's a shame we in the US let our rail system go pot, it used to be pretty good and we sure could use it now!
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