Over a third of UK adults now considering switch to EV, Audi claims
New research from Audi shows the interest in Electric Vehicles (EVs) is gathering momentum with more than a third (35%) of UK adults considering buying an EV.
The drive to electric is mostly down to people wanting to save money on road tax, fuel, and running costs (41%), while a third (32%) simply want to reduce their carbon footprint. Meanwhile, almost one in five say it was due to the recent fuel shortage (18%).
In the UK, the electric vehicle market is starting to take off with a total of 85,032 EVs sold in the first seven months of 2021 (January to July), representing a 117.4% increase over the same period in 2020.
As world leaders discuss the future of the planet at COP26, the encouraging research comes ahead of the conference switching its focus to ‘driving the global transition to zero-emission transport’ on Wednesday 10 November.
Despite a public desire for change, there is still some hesitancy with cost of vehicles (53%), access to charging points (42%) and lack of Government incentives (23%) all cited as reasons for not yet transitioning to EV.
Backed by an investment of around €400 million, the Volkswagen Group (VWG), the parent company of Audi, aims to realise a five-fold increase in the number of public fast-chargers available in Europe by 2025, which will equate to a network of about 18,000 points capable of satisfying approximately a third of the continent’s total predicted demand.
VWG has joined forces with major energy companies, including BP in the UK, to deliver its charging ambition. This is in conjunction with VWG’s continuing commitments as part of the IONITY joint venture.
Audi also claims it has made a concerted and accelerated transfer to e-mobility with more than 20 fully-electric battery driven models in the line-up by 2025. From 2036, Audi will launch only electric cars and production of combustion engine models is to cease by 2033.
