Vast Majority of EV Owners Would Buy Another Despite Some Charging Concerns
The vast majority of electric vehicle (EV) owners are satisfied enough with their current vehicle to buy another one when the time comes. That despite some continuing concerns with charging infrastructure on the road.
Nearly 90 per cent of the 16,000 EV owners surveyed by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) in a recently released study say they plan to continue buying EVs when it comes time to replace their current vehicle. More than 90 per cent of owners say they are spending less on fuel and nearly 80 per cent say the cost of maintenance is much better than it was with an internal combustion vehicle.
“The result of our survey paints a picture of people happy they bought an EV, saying they are cheaper to operate and easier to maintain than their previous gas-powered vehicles,” said Ian Jack, vice-president of public affairs, CAA National, in a statement.
However, there’s still room for improvement. Although owners report that the vast majority of charging is done at home, there remains a lack of charging options on the road. Around 70 per cent of EV owners say they are less than satisfied with the number of fast chargers in Canada, leaving them with concerns about making long trips in their EVs, especially in the winter. More than half of owners surveyed said they would rather drive an internal combustion vehicle than an EV on a long journey in extremely cold weather.
In addition to being a problem for long drives, a lack of charging ports on the road is also a problem for consumers (such as some apartment dwellers) who do not have space to install a home charger. Growing the public charging network is also an important step towards increasing demand for EVs. The CAA’s findings will likely confirm the fears of non EV owners, more than two-thirds of whom said they would not consider buying an EV due to concerns about long distance driving in cold weather.
