Survey Results: UK EV Demand Driven By Younger Generation

Electric vehicle demand in the UK seems to be driven mostly by the younger generations, well going by the results of a recent survey conducted by the auto industry and the government-funded Go Ultra Low campaign anyways.

The new survey — of 800 teenagers between the ages 14 and 17 — found that younger drivers have a notably better view of electric vehicles (EVs) than older generations do. Impressively, 81% of the 14-year-olds surveyed stated that the first car that they bought would be an electric one.

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Many of those surveyed in these younger generations also stated one of the most important criteria in selecting a car should be the associated carbon emissions. Perhaps more impressively than that though, 88% stated that more people should be driving plug-in cars (EVs and PHEVs) than are doing so currently.

Green Car Reports provides more:

In addition, 53% of respondents cited low running costs as a priority when choosing a car, while about a quarter said they wanted a car that “feels good to drive in.” New technology was an important consideration for 29% of respondents, while just a third–32% — cited the ability to travel distances up to 700 miles as important.

“Our research shows that younger consumers are more drawn towards environmentally-friendly purchases,” stated Go Ultra Low chief Poppy Welch.

Given the ages of those queried though, my question is whether or not those stating an interesting electric cars will follow through and purchase? Given the general trends among younger people though, it seems pretty likely that interest in things like carbon emissions, “environmentalism”, etc (no matter how superficial), will only continue growing over the coming years — all but ensuring the continued growth of the EV industry.

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