The biggest misconceptions around electric vehicles have been revealed – including a higher risk of vehicles catching fire, and not being able to charge them in the rain. Other mistaken beliefs include electric cars breaking down more than normal cars, and batteries needing to be replaced every three years or sooner.
Meanwhile, others don’t think the electricity grid can handle an increase in electric cars.
The poll, of 2,000 motorists, found 35 percent were unsure how long you could drive for on one charge. And one in 10 (11 percent) believe that EVs still only last a couple of hours when charged once.
Phil Hall, senior editor at heycar, which commissioned the study, and published an EV guide to debunk the myths, said: “There’s still a huge amount of inaccurate information floating around about EV ownership, and concerns around reliability are a prime example.
“Most manufacturers provide a minimum eight-year, 100,000-mile, warranty on batteries – that’s longer than most combustion engine warranties.
“And compared to a petrol or diesel engine, there’s significantly fewer moving parts on an EV – meaning there’s much less chance of something breaking, or needing to be replaced.”
It also emerged 55 percent are relieved at the recent petrol ban delay, as they don’t think they could afford an electric car any time soon.
But there is uncertainty around running costs, with half believing that they are more expensive to run – when, in reality, there could be savings to be made.
The heycar spokesman said: “It’s understandable that the cost of transitioning to an EV is a big concern right now, but there are some great options on nearly-new EVs – and you could even end up paying less for one, compared to a petrol or diesel equivalent.
“It’s not just the upfront cost of ownership where you could save money, either – as, depending on how many miles you cover each year, your running costs could easily be more than half of what they are right now.”
However, 40 percent said they’d be more inclined to switch if there were more charging ports and stations around.
Meanwhile, three in 10 believe electric cars have a negative reputation in the eyes of the public – with social media (34 percent), and the pub (17 percent), among the top places where people think EV myths are spread the most.
However, three-quarters (74 percent) admit their knowledge of EVs is shaky – with 42 percent claiming to know more about interest rates, while 31 percent feel they have better knowledge about mortgages.
Politics (38 percent) and taxes (30 percent) were also topics people feel more confident about. As such, almost seven in 10 (69 percent) reckon the government could do more to offer grants for drivers to make the switch to an electric car.
And of those who took part in the study, carried out by OnePoll.com, 16 percent believe EV myths are spread more at Christmas compared to any other time of the year, due to people socialising more.
The spokesman for heycar added: “We’ve all come across people on social media, or at the pub, who tend to share misconceptions about topics they’re not actually that familiar with, or qualified to talk about. That’s why we’re starting out on a myth-busting mission, to be a source of fact amongst the EV fiction.”
THE TOP FIVE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MISCONCEPTIONS, DEBUNKED:
- The battery needs changing every two years: Most manufacturers provide a minimum eight year/100,000 mile warranty on batteries, which is longer than most combustion engine warranties.
- The electricity grid won’t be able to handle the increase in EVs: According to the National Grid, this won’t be a problem.
- EVs are at high risk of catching fire: Recent studies have shown EVs are actually less likely to catch fire than petrol cars.
- EVs break down more than normal cars: As they have fewer moving parts, EVs have actually been shown to break down less than petrol/diesel cars.
- You can’t charge EVs in the rain: They’ve been designed so that this isn’t a problem – simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
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