A brand new survey performed by YouGov has confirmed that perception in EV myths is holding again adoption, with most petrol automotive drivers scoring only a 2/10 in a quiz about how electrical vehicles work.
The survey was commissioned by the Power and Local weather Intelligence Unit (ECIU), an unbiased nonprofit within the UK.
Carried out by YouGov, it requested 1,000 UK petrol/diesel automotive drivers ten questions on electrical vehicles, primarily targeted on well-liked items of misinformation that has been pushed by the oil business and different entities that oppose cleaner, higher automobiles.
The survey discovered that this misinformation is alive and properly – and notably alive and properly amongst drivers who haven’t pushed an EV.
Out of the petrol drivers surveyed, a majority of them, 57%, had been solely in a position to reply 2 out of 10 questions appropriately, and 90% bought lower than half right. There have been a variety of “uncertain” solutions, so this doesn’t imply they bought 8 incorrect, however that’s nonetheless a reasonably excessive failure price. 23% of petrol drivers bought zero questions proper.
Whereas we don’t have entry to all the info and questions, listed here are a few of the questions that ECIU highlighted:
- Practically two-thirds (62%) of petrol drivers imagine it’s dearer to personal and run an EV, with solely 14% appropriately recognising that EVs are sometimes cheaper. A report from ECIU discovered that the drivers of the highest 10 promoting petrol vehicles of 2023 can discover themselves paying a petroleum premium of £700 a 12 months in operating prices, in comparison with an equal electrical automotive.
- 41% of petrol drivers incorrectly suppose that EVs usually tend to catch fireplace than petrol vehicles, with solely 24% right of their understanding that they’re much less more likely to catch fireplace. Proof from EV Fireplace Protected indicated that EVs are greater than 80 occasions much less more likely to catch fireplace than petrol or diesel vehicles.
- Greater than half (59%) of petrol drivers thought the UK’s electrical energy grid “won’t be able to manage” with the UK’s shift to EVs, whereas just one in 5 (20%) appropriately recognized this assertion as false. The Nationwide Grid has explicitly labelled this a ‘fable’ and is evident that the ability system will be capable of deal with hundreds of thousands extra EVs within the UK.
- 80% of petrol drivers suppose the UK will not be on the right track to put in the charging infrastructure it wants, regardless of the nation being forward of schedule to hit its goal of 300,000 chargers on the UK’s roads by 2030.
- Extra drivers (35%) incorrectly believed that an EV’s lifetime CO2 emissions are at least these of a petroleum automotive than appropriately recognized this assertion as false (32%). An EV being pushed within the UK produces 3 times much less lifetime CO2 emissions that an equal petrol or diesel automotive.
Extra EV data = higher buy intent
However the level right here will not be that non-EV drivers are ignorant. It’s to indicate how these falsehoods are affecting EV uptake, which in flip means worse air high quality and worse results of local weather change for everybody on Earth.
Of the drivers who scored the best – 8/10 or extra right solutions – 64.6% of them stated they need their subsequent automotive to be an EV. However of the drivers who scored 2/10 or much less, solely 6.1% needed their subsequent automotive to be an EV. So these with essentially the most correct info had been 11 occasions extra more likely to need an EV than those that had fallen sufferer to misinformation.
This reveals that widespread misinformation is affecting folks’s buying selections, and holding them from shopping for a automobile that may not solely save them cash on gas and upkeep prices, but additionally save all of society from the well being prices of air pollution.
Electrek’s Take
Whereas this survey was performed within the UK, we’ve seen related surveys earlier than through the years, exhibiting that EV misinformation has fairly a big maintain on the populace in numerous international locations.
Sadly, the misinformation talked about right here is kind of persistent as a result of it’s continually being repeated by highly effective entities which don’t need the established order to vary.
Regardless that it’s clear we have to change how transportation works due to the large quantity of air pollution it causes, resulting in poor well being and local weather change, polluting business would reasonably issues maintain going the identical method they all the time have. So members of the richest and strongest industries on the earth, oil and automotive, are completely comfortable to push all types of misinformation with a purpose to oppose a change that is coming irrespective of what they do.
That’s why websites like ourselves exist – to attempt to demystify electrical vehicles for people who find themselves , to counter this misinformation, and to hopefully convey extra folks into that “high-scoring” class, in order that we are able to all acquire the person and societal advantages that EV possession may end up in.
So in case you are certainly one of these petrol automotive drivers – stick round, learn some articles, ask questions within the feedback, head to EV-specific boards on the web, head to EV occasions like Nationwide Drive Electrical Week, or simply attain out to some EV proudly owning mates of yours and ask them what the expertise is like.
One other cool factor about EVs is which you can cost them at residence utilizing rooftop photo voltaic panels. Discover a dependable and competitively priced photo voltaic installer close to you on EnergySage, without spending a dime. They’ve pre-vetted installers competing for your enterprise, making certain high-quality options and 20-30% financial savings. It’s free, with no gross sales calls till you select an installer. Evaluate personalised photo voltaic quotes on-line and obtain steerage from unbiased Power Advisers. Get began right here. – advert*
FTC: We use revenue incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.
