80% Of EV Trial Drivers Open To Ditching Gasmobiles
The UK’s Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) and the Technology Strategy Boards (TSB) over the course of several years hosted an Ultra Low Carbon (ULCV) demonstration trial involving 349 vehicles, 1.5 million miles, and 270,000 journeys. One of the big takeaway points was that 80% of the trial drivers were open to switching to EVs after the trial period, but there were several other interesting results, as well.
Here’s a short summary from Fleet World: “The trial found that at the outset, drivers did not want to compromise their daily routine and commonly stated that the car needed to fit their lives rather than vice versa. However, drivers immediately showed signs of primary adaptation with EVs being seen as simple to drive, including unfamiliar components such as regenerative breaking. The vehicles were seen as fun to drive, smooth and rated very highly on acceleration. Over a third of drivers stated that their EV had superior performance to their normal car.”
The response to charging rather than refueling at gas stations was also very positive. Trial drivers overwhelmingly preferred charging their cars.
Furthermore, while “range anxiety” is repeatedly hyped in the media, trial drivers found it wasn’t really an issue. “The average trip length achieved in the EVs was 5.1 miles and the average daily mileage was 21.4 miles, ensuring that the vast majority of drivers kept comfortably within the capable range of EVs. 75% of daily use consumed less than 50% of the battery capacity.”
Aside from 80% of trial drivers saying that they could see themselves switching to EVs, 50% actually said they intended to do so. Can you imagine if everyone was a trial EV driver?
For more details, check out the full trial results.
Don't forget to follow EV Obsession on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and/or RSS! Do it for electricity!
About the Author
Zach is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy since 2009. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he's the founder and director of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.
Related Posts
UK Electric Vehicle Projects Can Compete For £15 Million →
UK EV Sales Hit Best Quarter Ever →
Tesla Offering New Lease Deals For UK Buyers →
