46% of those, who do not currently own a EV or hybrid would consider buying one in the next five years, a survey has suggested.

The figure rises to 66% for those who would seriously consider a purchase, but are currently held back by perceived barriers to purchase, according to the survey from professional services company GHD. The findings came from an international survey of 8,000 people in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, as part of GHD’s whitepaper “The World of Energy Post-COVID”. 1,004 people were surveyed in the UK.

In the UK, those aged 18-35 are most likely to buy an EV. Of those that are interested in buying an EV, 47% said they were not confident they would have access to local and reliable charging infrastructure. This was particularly high among those living in rural and suburban areas, with 46% and 52% unsure respectively. 36% lacked confidence in their ability to charge an electric vehicle at home.

The survey also found that 15% already belonged to a household that already owns an electric or hybrid vehicle. This was behind 21% in Singapore and 16% in the the U.S.A, but ahead of Australia, which sits on 7%, and New Zealand and Canada, where both are on 8%.

Commenting on the survey’s findings, Dr David Maunder, Technical Leader - Future Energy, at GHD, said: “It is clear that we are entering the era of the electric vehicle, with our survey showing strong demand among UK consumers. However, there are perceived obstacles that remain a handbrake on consumer uptake, as shown by the number of respondents who say they would seriously consider buying an EV but currently believe there are too many barriers to ownership.

“The UK government has rightly placed a lot of focus of EVs in its ten-point plan, pledging £2.8 billion of investment, including £1.3 billion to accelerate the roll-out of charging infrastructure, and bringing forward the phase-out date for sales of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030.”

He added: “Accessible charging infrastructure is clearly critical to EV uptake, and an area of particular concern for consumers. However, with batteries and point-of-use technology becoming more accessible, we should see a rapid uptake of this infrastructure in the coming five years, which will help drive the roll-out.”

To read GHD’s full whitepaper, go to https://communications.ghd.com/energy-post-COVID/