Our Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Framework recognises different populations within the North will experience the electric vehicle transition at a different pace, and will have different charging needs.
To help improve our evidence around this and promote a fair electric vehicle transition, we set out to explore the attitudes of car and van owners among our online research community, Northern Transport Voices.
In the first and second Insight articles in this series, we reported findings from our research which revealed that, despite the growing consumer appetite for adopting hybrid or battery electric vehicles, the comparatively higher purchase costs, and concerns about not having access to adequate private or public charging options are still putting many consumers off from going (fully) electric.
In this article, we look at some of the other barriers identified by consumers, and highlight issues which consumers told us they would like to see improved to help them manage the transition.
Among other barriers identified by consumers who were uncertain about adopting hybrid or electric vehicles, the lack of good quality and reliable information was identified as a significant issue.
Consumers in our focus groups, many of whom already had an interest in electric vehicles and some level of prior knowledge, still had many unanswered questions, including around future incentives for or taxes on the use of electric vehicles, the likely charging and maintenance costs of a hybrid or electric vehicle, potential battery lifespans, and charging options to suit personal circumstances.
It was also reported that some manufacturers and dealerships are not able to provide adequate information to give consumers enough confidence to make the switch.
Consumers also mentioned various issues linked to the emerging nature of the EV market. Consumers felt there are still relatively limited choices of affordable new models within the market (particularly for consumers who are loyal to specific car brands), while choices in the second hand vehicle market, and options for repairs and servicing of hybrid and electric vehicles, are also still somewhat limited.
As the market grows, the range of choices within the market can be expected to grow too, but at this stage, the findings from our research indicate that from a consumer perspective, the EV market has not reached the tipping point for a developed market yet, demonstrating the need for continued investment into addressing all remaining barriers to the EV transition, across the different dimensions of cost, charging infrastructure, information, and market confidence.
Some of the consumers we spoke to shared the view that purchase price of electric vehicles would eventually reach parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.
However, our research revealed that consumers need more reliable and clearer information about the transition to using an electric vehicle to help them make the switch with confidence. As pointed out by one of our research participants, buying an electric car is likely to be many consumers’ second largest ever purchase after their home, and it is important for consumers to get that right.
One of the areas where consumers feel they need more information is around potential future incentives, as well as taxes on electric vehicles, where they feel government policy is not currently very clear.
Some consumers also expressed doubts around manufacturers’ claims regarding electric vehicles’ range and battery lifespan, believing the vehicles would not perform as well as claimed ‘in real life’. This is something consumers would like to have more confidence in before they commit to a switch.
In addition to more confidence in technological performance, consumers wanted to be reassured that maintenance and repair services for electric vehicles would be easily accessible.
Most consumers had a fairly sceptical view about the ability of public charging infrastructure development to catch up with current and future demand.
For that reason, a private home charging point was seen by some as a prerequisite for switching (if they were in a position to install one).
These consumers were keen to know more about the cost of installing private charging points, and whether grants for installation would be made available more widely.
One of the reasons why consumers felt that home charging was preferable to other alternatives is that the cost of destination charging and motorway charging was seen by some as ‘extortionate’. Not knowing how much it might cost to charge at different destination or on-route charging points was also off-putting for consumers.
Among those who are unable to charge an electric car privately at home, there were still many unanswered questions around how shared residential charging points or hubs might work, with consumers raising particular concerns around the potential costs, safety, security, and convenience of these types of charging solutions, as described in our previous article.
To help motorists who do not have access to private at-home charging options to make the most of the EV transition, more investment is needed to design and roll out competitively priced, secure, and accessible shared residential charging solutions.
At the end of December 2023, there were 53,906 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, with around 7,800 of these in the TfN region. There were around 31,000 charging locations nationally. This represents a 45% increase in the total number of charging devices since December 2022, with ultrarapid points nearly doubling in number.
The National Government’s LEVI (local electric vehicle infrastructure) programme will see £109m invested in local authorities across the North to deliver a step-change in provision, and accelerate commercial investment to meet forecasted requirements in TfN’s EVCI Framework.
TfN’s EVCI framework and datasets are informing and supporting local and national partners’ activities, and TfN continues to further develop this evidence, with enhancements due in early 2024 and in the summer of the same year. This toolkit is also being rolled out nationally by working collaboratively with other sub-national bodies.
This Northern Voices series has also identified outstanding policy, planning and delivery actions which can tackle the consumer confidence, infrastructure and cost barriers. TfN plan to publish a ‘State of Play’ report to recommend these actions, in conjunction with our regional partners, in summer 2024.
For the full Northern Transport Voices report on attitudes to EVs please click the cover below:
