The latest Road to 2030 report from Auto Trader has revealed that fewer than half of drivers are currently willing to embrace electric vehicles (EVs) as concerns over affordability and charging prevent consumers from making the switch.
The report highlighted the barriers to mass adoption as the 2030 deadline on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles approach. Its research, based on a poll of 4,000 drivers across the UK, reveals just 47% of drivers consider that owning an EV would fit in with their lifestyle.
Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said:
“There is still much more work to be done to achieve a mass transition to electric vehicles before the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel models and ensure no driver is left behind. Support from the tax system to put the used EV market on a more robust footing is vital for the sustainability of the entire EV market and our chances of successfully transitioning to EVs by 2030.
“Consumers are still worried about affordability and charging, which is why we need a clear statement of intent from the Government. Penalising drivers who have to charge in public with higher VAT is simply unfair: we need to end this charging injustice.”
56% of the poll consider EVs too expensive and another 47% worried over a lack of charging points. Despite the average household only needing to plug in once a week, two-fifths of drivers believe they would have to charge their cars every three days.
The affordability barriers are underlined by the shrinking of new EVs on sale for less than £30,000, with just nine models now compared to 11 at the end of 2022. The handful of affordable new EVs contrasts with 87 diesel and petrol models on sale below £30,000. New EVs are still on average 33% more expensive than traditionally fueled vehicles, throwing up further barriers to mass market adoption.
Auto Trader’s report reveals a circa 23% contraction in second-hand electric prices over the past 12 months, bringing greener options within reach of more drivers. According to Auto Trader data, more than a quarter of all used EVs were priced under £20,000 in August – up from 7% a year earlier.
EVs between three and five years old have seen even bigger price drops of 40%, making some EV models such as the Nissan Leaf cheaper than petrol or diesel equivalents for the first time.
As a result of the softening in prices, which has been fuelled by a significant growth in supply as brand-new EVs bought on finance or leasing contracts three-four years ago re-enter the market, demand for second-hand EVs on Auto Trader has increased significantly, with current levels up 68.6%compared with August last year.
But while the oversupply of EVs has been effective in driving down used prices and encouraging consumers to consider the switch, uptake is still limited to wealthier drivers as concerns over affordability and charging hold back the push towards mass adoption.
Auto Trader is calling for the Government to make EVs more affordable by using incentives in the tax system rather than relying on unsustainable market dynamics.
A recent report by Cabify found that a third of motorcycle drivers in Spain use motorcycle rental services by the minute, also known as moto-sharing. The survey was conducted among more than 4,000 users in Spain to find out the social perception of this service.
Of the total of those surveyed, 80% use motorcycles in their trips around the city on a recurring basis, at least once a week, compared to 15% who do so on a more regular basis.
Although, the majority of motorcycle users own a motorcycle (72%), a third opt for moto-sharing, where price, availability, and proximity of the vehicle play a key role.
Among the main motivations for opting for this means of transport, respondents highlight greater agility when moving around the city, allowing them to reach their destination faster. On the other hand, the possibility of parking the vehicle in a simpler way is a determining factor when choosing this alternative over others.
On the other hand, although 53% of respondents do not show any preference for combustion or electric motorcycles, it has been detected that the remaining 43% are inclined towards a 100% sustainable option in their travels.
The survey promoted by Cabify also contemplates non-drivers of motorcycles, of which 21% show interest in this alternative and its use in the urban environment, and if it is to go as a companion, this figure rises to 30% of the total. Among the most frequently cited barriers to its use are the perceived lack of safety (46%), the lack of a driver’s license (31%) and discomfort (23%).
Despite this, 40% of non-drivers would be willing to consider using motorcycles if they had the necessary knowledge and the opportunity to learn how to ride them safely. In general terms, eight out of ten respondents, including both motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists, detect that there is a lack of road safety education in cities.
The use of electric mopeds for rent by the minute is one of the main mobility alternatives that Cabify makes available to its users. In this sense, this option is the preferred choice of users, in general, younger, compared to other mobility alternatives such as taxis or VTC. The average age of users who opt for Cabify’s moto-sharing service is around 33 years old, and they usually make journeys of between three and four kilometers on average.
Users can access the service through the Cabify app in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Seville, and Valencia.
In addition, all the motorcycles available through Cabify’s platform are 100% electric, which allows them to avoid using other less sustainable alternatives. In this regard, it should be noted that, during 2022, thanks to Cabify’s motorcycles, the emission of around 300 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere has been avoided.
The idea of sharing large vehicles is gaining ground. Vans, transporters, or campervans are increasingly offered via the sharing model: there are more than 70 car sharing operators with large vehicles in Europe and North America.
The vehicles offered include minivans such as the VW Caddy, Fiat Doblo or Nissan NV200, classic vans such as VW T6, Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter, maxi vans such as Peugeot Boxer, Renault Master or VW Crafter up to motorhomes.
The European market is more diverse and has more operators of large vehicles than North America. The current analysis identifies nearly 70 shared mobility operators in more than 20 countries in Europe, as well as eight operators in the US and Canada that operate vans, transporters, or campervans in their fleets.
In both regions, it’s evident that many providers of large vehicles offer them in addition to their existing passenger vehicle sharing, i.e. they are diversifying their fleet. Examples include Cambio or MILES from Germany as well as the Belgian provider Poppy, Zipcar UK, or peer-to-peer provider Getaround.
Up to 20 per cent of operators focus exclusively on offering specialized vehicles. These include van-sharing providers such as Carl und Carla in Germany, Ezeto in Sweden, WoziBus in Poland or 123-Transporter from Austria, as well as camper van providers such as Cabana in the USA, Cheeky Campers from Switzerland or Roadfans in Germany. More than a dozen of the European shared mobility operators offering large vehicles operate more than 100 large vehicles. Over half of those operate more than 500 large vehicles.
Usage scenarios for large vehicle sharing include trips to the landfill, transporting large items from DIY stores, furniture stores or garden centers, daily use by craftsmen and contractors, and also group trips or camping holidays.
The complete 33-page market analysis “Large Vehicle Sharing in Europe and North America. From Transporters and Vans to RVs and Campervans” is available here.
