According to Shell Recharge’s annual EV Driver Survey, Europe is at the tipping point of mass adoption of electric cars. Real-world experiences make EV drivers slowly swallow their range anxiety, the ones still seeing a problem dropping from 60 to 50%. 47% don’t feel the need to recharge daily, and there is no turning back for those who jump from ICE to EV.

The research was done in the first two months of 2023, looking at the views of 24 771 European EV or PHEV drivers in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and Italy
for the first time. Some 42% of EV drivers went electric within a year of the survey. In Belgium, 1 305 EV drivers participated, and in the Netherlands, 6 715.

Adoption rate accelerated

The 42% having bought their EVs last year and 67% within the previous two years show the adoption rate for EVs has accelerated. Among them, 87% purchased a brand-new vehicle. Or, more likely got it from their employer, as in Belgium, more than 60% of annual new car registrations are company cars. While in Europe, new cars generally only represent 27% of all new registrations.

This shows that vehicle supply is currently a limiting factor in the second-hand EV market. This is significant, states the report, “as the development of the second-hand market and the role it can play in introducing lower-priced models into the market may support mass EV adoption.”

Purchase price still a barrier

This year 32% of respondents stated lower purchase cost as the third most important factor for accelerating the switch to electric. In 2022, the purchase price was still mentioned as the second biggest hindrance to EV adoption.

Nobody, in general, seems to have heard so far of the lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of EVs compared to ICE cars in all car segments, except the smallest city cars, as several studies by leasing companies proved. There is still some ‘educational work’ to do.

Less range anxiety

If purchase cost falls back to the third place, the first obstacle seen for EV adoption is still ‘range anxiety’ or the fear of getting stuck with an empty battery as charging stations are still thin on the ground compared to petrol stations today.

But while this argument was ranked first by 60% in 2022, that number lowered to 50% in 2023. A significant reduction, say the researchers from consultancy firm LCP Delta and Shell Recharge. While driving their EVs, range anxiety is melting away gradually, and ‘range confidence’ is growing.

Real-time experience proves that the range most EVs offer today is sufficient for daily needs. Shell cites British figures as an example where the average daily journeys (8.4 miles or 13,5 km) are well within the average EV’s battery range of 100 to 300 miles (160 to 480 km). The average daily journey in Belgium is no more than 30-40 km.

But according to the findings, ‘insufficient range’ doesn’t prevent EV drivers from taking longer journeys. Only 14% of the respondents said they didn’t. Those traveling to other European countries by EV, and having a good charging experience, increased by 5%. In comparison, reluctance to drive abroad because of charging or range concerns was down 7% and 5%, respectively.

People get used to taking more rest stops and prefer to do that at charging stations offering good food and drinks or shopping facilities while the battery reloads. In the same perspective, EV drivers tend to plan their shopping trips more often to businesses offering (free) charging at the venue.

Charging options

Today 47% say to see no need to recharge daily. A year ago, this was only 21%. The researchers say they see a notable trend of drivers becoming more relaxed about when EVs are charged. In the Netherlands and Belgium, most EV drivers today have dedicated charging capabilities at home or work.

They are often pretty ‘environmentally motivated’, having invested in green energy at home, especially in the Netherlands (71%) and Belgium (67%). Nearly half (46%) of the respondents have invested in at-home solar power, while 36% have smart home thermostats and 19% have heat pumps.

It’s interesting to note that 50% are ‘business drivers’ and 50% have a charging pass provided by their employer, 45 % have free charging access at the workplace, and 36% have employer-reimbursed home charging

Still, the number of those who haven’t charge capabilities at home is increasing, especially in dense urban areas. That makes the availability of sufficient public charging stations ranks second in the list of ‘objections’ to buying an EV today.

Myriad cards and apps

And when it comes to charging in public, the need for having multiple charging passes and payment methods is seen as a significant drawback. Almost a quarter of EV drivers questioned have four or more apps or cards for charging, and 13% even six or more.

No wonder 47% of respondents agree that they would prefer to have a single method of accessing all public charge points, even if that means they were to pay slightly more per charge. It’s good to know that the EU is working on legislation to make it mandatory by 2027 that all public chargers can be used with all payment methods.