Just 12% of UK drivers will travel in electric vehicles by 2027

The results of a recent public opinion survey suggest uptake of EVs among British road users lags behind what’s needed to meet emissions targets. 

New research conducted by Flowbird Smart City UK has found just 12% of UK drivers have made the switch to electric vehicles (EVs), or plan to within the next five years. A lack of incentives and infrastructure issues are partly to blame for putting people off. 

A white paper, How to Make Parking and EV Charging Work for Everyone has ben produced, based on results from the YouGov poll, which involved 2000 people. Overall, there was widespread support for the transition, although 52% of respondents believed more parking spaces and charging points were essential.

Ease-of-use was also a clear problem, as 64% believe there should be on-the-spot payment options for refuelling and 42% want the option to pay with cash. Tellingly, just 22% of those in the survey said parking apps had made life easier, less than the 28% that believe such software has made things more difficult. More than half (56%) still expect to pay for parking through physical terminals at times, rising to 63% among retirees. 

‘The research suggests people support the EV transition but are still hesitant about making the switch themselves. More needs to be done to encourage people to switch to an EV and assure people that the switch will be smooth. Part of this will be ensuring accessible, easy to use charge points for all, and transparent payments for both parking and charging are available,’ said Danny Hassett, Flowbird’s Managing Director Smart City UK. 

‘Recent years have seen dramatic changes in the parking landscape as new digital technologies have emerged, and as EV charging has become intertwined with parking. But all too often these technology solutions have been rushed out to solve problems before those problems are fully realised,’ he continued. ‘Strategies should be focused on the user, not the technology. We should start with user needs – guided by bigger picture trends such as electrification – and strategically deploy the right mix of technologies to meet these.’

Last year, the UK government announced grants for switching to EV would begin focussing on cheaper models to encourage more people to make the change. 

Image credit: John Cameron