VAB’s ‘drivetrain choice’ test shows high need for user education

What kind of drivetrain will we choose for our next car? Plain-old gasoline, hybrid, or electric? It’s often a question about actual needs, economics, and practicality, which most families wrestle with. In reality, 44% of family drivers have no idea of their mobility profile, and a third don’t even know how much their current car consumes.

VAB, the Flemish road service and mobility organization that ‘covers’ 3 million vehicles (cars, motorbikes, and bicycles), did the test with a sample of its members who got a taste of today’s choices in different drivetrains. It proved that after a day of immersion bath of information and a fleet of hands-on test cars, 65% re-adjusted their initial choice. Still that didn’t mean all would go electric.

Sample of family drivers

For its ‘user sample’ of 31 family drivers, VAB could draw from its large volunteer base, which includes members who enlisted for the annual ‘Family Car of the Year’ election, which the mobility organization is most known for. It’s not a scientific sample of the Belgian population; hence, it gives a good idea of where the average family driver comes from.

In this case, most are pretty ‘standard’ two-parent families with two or more children. However, VAB says it sees a growing group of singles, kidless families, or retired people among its members who might have different mobility needs.

MHD, HEV, PHEV, BEV, or FCEV?

The sample group got the opportunity to test-drive a fleet of new cars provided by importer Astara: Hyundai i30 and Suzuki Swift (mild-hybrids merely start-stop), MG ZS and MG 3 (full hybrids HEV), Hyundai Tucson and MG HS (plugin hybrids PHEV), Hyundai Inster and MG 5 (full electric BEV) and even one on hydrogen, the Hyundai Nexo (FCEV).

Before getting an elaborate briefing about the different drivetrains and their pros and cons from a user’s point of view, people were questioned about their actual mobility profile today.

What kind of car do you drive today? How many kilometers do you drive annually? Are you driving short or long distances? What are fuel, service, insurance, maintenance, or repair costs? What is your car’s lifespan? What is the resale value of your vehicle after 6 – 7 – 9 years if you intend to keep it? Do you have a drive lane to charge an EV or live in an apartment?

44% don’t know their mobility profile

Although these ‘voluntary test drivers’ are supposed to be among the most interested, Gert Verhoeven, VAB mobility expert and journalist, says 44% had no clue about their mobility profile, which surprised the VAB organizers.

One-third didn’t know how much their current car consumes, not to mention the other costs that make up a car’s ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ (TCO) or the actual cost per kilometer when driving it.

Common prejudices against EVs

What they did know was what most restrained them from buying an electric car until now. And that was no surprise: the most common prejudices against EVs are the high purchase price, high energy costs, range anxiety, and the complexity of charging versus refueling an ICE car.

It all boils down to budget. In practice, they only see the initial purchase price as the most significant hurdle (85%), as most have no idea of the actual costs of a car. The exact cost of electricity is perceived by 62% as a hurdle, although in practice, most have no idea how much that is.

Once-in-a-year holiday

Range anxiety (77%)—the fear of getting stuck along the road with an empty battery—is usually related to the once-in-a-year holiday. Some participants even prefer a diesel car to drive 1,300 km nonstop to the Mediterranean without refueling.

How silly can it get if you have no time for a ten-minute refuel stop in the rush to your relaxing holiday? What most (54%) do think to know is that charging an EV takes too much time and infrastructure is insufficient (46%)—an example of how self-declared experts on social media often fuel ignorance.

All participants indicated they were interested in the possibility of an electric car in the future. Still, most did not know the differences between mild hybrids, HEVs, PHEVs, BEVs, or FCEVs.

It shows that the automotive sector and its salesforce need to gear up to educate their clientele before complaining of low interest from the general private buyer in the energy transition and the need for government incentives.

A significant role for government: energy prices

However, the government is reserved for a significant role in regulating energy prices and transparency between them, such as knowing how much charging at a public station costs today, where no prices are indicated. At least with obligatory fuel prices advertised at all pump stations, the regular ICE driver knows what he pays when filling up.

That’s not even the case when you charge at home. Electricity bills in Belgium are complex, with many different distribution costs and taxes included, and the price of electricity itself fluctuates. Some actual costs are only known after a year of consumption, like the capacity tariff in Flanders, which is calculated based on the highest peak consumption of the month.

So, what did this first limited VAB drivetrain immersion day deliver? Although all participants loved the driving experience in an electric car, 80% still swear by some ICE car, with 29% mild-hybrids, 22% HEVs, 29% plugin hybrids, and 17% going for full electric.

EVs still need some charming offensives and customer education from the sector to convince them. However, that percentage was already higher (17% against an average of 13% sold in the private market today) when people were better informed. Fuel cell electric cars on hydrogen (3%) seem to be losing even more terrain on the edge of extinction.