Nissan says a survey it has commissioned shows that European EV drivers are driving further on average than users of internal combustion engine (ICE) fitted cars.
To help further understand the driving experiences and perception of European motorists, the study reveals EV drivers are becoming trailblazers on European roads, totalling on average more than 14,200km yearly. This compares with an average 13,600km for their ICE counterparts.
“This research reiterates that electric driving is not only a smart option beneficial to the environment but also a fun, exciting and convenient choice for the owners. It is no surprise that people now drive EVs further than ICE cars. We are confident that with more EV on the road dispelling myths, range anxiety will soon be in the past,” said Arnaud Charpentier, Region Vice President, Product Strategy and Pricing, Nissan AMIEO.
Almost half (47%) of ICE drivers say the main advantage of a petrol or diesel car is greater range autonomy. Likewise, when looking into the reasons behind the 30% of ICE drivers who are unlikely to consider a fully electric vehicle, the majority (58%) said the biggest concern is that EVs have low driving range autonomy.
Further exploration into factors that would convince drivers to switch unsurprisingly reveal:
- 38% of ICE drivers believe the biggest pull-factor would be greater range
- 32% of ICE drivers would be drawn by ease of charging.
- 30% note having a better charging infrastructure would persuade them to switch.
However, despite these results, drawing comparison with those who have already converted to an electric car, EV drivers confidently counteract these fears. Some 70% of existing EV drivers note their experience of range has been better than they expected. These findings, Nissan maintains, serve as a strong indication to ICE drivers that range should not be a deterring factor for switching to an EV.