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 Vitality and Local weather Intelligence Unit (ECIU), an impartial nonprofit within the UK.
Performed by YouGov, it requested 1,000 UK petrol/diesel automotive drivers ten questions on electrical vehicles, primarily centered on widespread 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 capable of reply 2 out of 10 questions accurately, and 90% received lower than half right. There have been a number of “not sure” solutions, so this doesn’t imply they received 8 mistaken, however that’s nonetheless a reasonably excessive failure charge. 23% of petrol drivers received zero questions proper.
Whereas we don’t have entry to all the information and questions, listed here are a number of the questions that ECIU highlighted:
- Practically two-thirds (62%) of petrol drivers imagine it’s costlier to personal and run an EV, with solely 14% accurately 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 working prices, in comparison with an equal electrical automotive.
- 41% of petrol drivers incorrectly suppose that EVs usually tend to catch hearth than petrol vehicles, with solely 24% right of their understanding that they’re much less prone to catch hearth. Proof from EV Hearth Protected indicated that EVs are greater than 80 occasions much less prone to catch hearth than petrol or diesel vehicles.
- Greater than half (59%) of petrol drivers thought the UK’s electrical energy grid “will be unable to manage” with the UK’s shift to EVs, whereas just one in 5 (20%) accurately recognized this assertion as false. The Nationwide Grid has explicitly labelled this a ‘fable’ and is obvious that the ability system will have the ability to deal with thousands and thousands extra EVs within the UK.
- 80% of petrol drivers suppose the UK shouldn’t be heading in the right direction 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 accurately 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 information = higher buy intent
However the level right here shouldn’t be that non-EV drivers are ignorant. It’s to point out 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% wished their subsequent automotive to be an EV. So these with essentially the most correct info had been 11 occasions extra prone to need an EV than those that had fallen sufferer to misinformation.
This exhibits that widespread misinformation is affecting folks’s buying selections, and preserving them from shopping for a automobile that may not solely save them cash on gasoline and upkeep prices, but in addition 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, displaying that EV misinformation has fairly a big maintain on the populace in varied nations.
Sadly, the misinformation talked about right here is kind of persistent as a result of it’s always being repeated by highly effective entities which don’t need the established order to vary.
Though it’s clear we have to change how transportation works due to the huge quantity of air pollution it causes, resulting in poor well being and local weather change, polluting business would somewhat issues preserve going the identical manner they at all times have. So members of the richest and strongest industries on the planet, oil and automotive, are completely joyful to push all kinds of misinformation with a view to oppose a change that is coming regardless 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 carry extra folks into that “high-scoring” class, in order that we are able to all achieve the person and societal advantages that EV possession may end up in.
So in case you are one in all 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 that you may cost them at dwelling utilizing rooftop photo voltaic panels. Discover a dependable and competitively priced photo voltaic installer close to you on EnergySage, totally free. 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 customized photo voltaic quotes on-line and obtain steering from unbiased Vitality Advisers. Get began right here. – advert*
FTC: We use earnings incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.
