Whether you’re an electric vehicle convert or a petrol-powered cynic, it’s hard to ignore just how many EVs you see on the road these days in Australia – and despite a legislative landscape that hasn’t done much to encourage EV ownership, new research commissioned by one of Australia’s leading EV brands and research firms suggest that we Aussies are more ready for electric cars than one might expect…
Despite only 4% of Aussies currently owning an electric or hybrid vehicle, new data commissioned by BMW reveals that nearly one in two Australians (48%) are willing to go electric for their next car.
It goes even further: their data predicts that nearly one-quarter (23%) of Australians expect to own a fully electric car by 2040. However, among younger Australians (aged 18-24), this number jumps to a whopping 36%.
Perhaps surprisingly, it’s actually men between 18 and 34 who are most likely to consider an EV, according to BMW. That flies against the “no replacement for displacement”, gas-guzzling, anti-eco-friendly stereotype most blokes get painted with.
WATCH our 60-second review of the BMW iX electric SUV below.
BMW’s findings are also supported by new research completed separately by Roy Morgan that was released this month, which suggests 548,000 Australians plan on buying an EV in the next four years – equal to 12.5% of all those intending to purchase a new vehicle in this period – which represents a stunning increase of over 1,230% compared to four years ago.
Roy Morgan’s data also suggests that it’s men who are by far and large leading the charge when it comes to EV adoption: their figures show that 61% of those planning to buy an electric vehicle are men – although it must be pointed out that this is a vast change from even three years ago when the split was 76% men compared to 24% women.
They also show that while it’s still young men leading the charge, intention to buy an electric vehicle has more than doubled across all age groups, with the fastest growth in intention to purchase has been for Aussies aged 65+, increasing more than threefold (340%) in only two years.
All of this suggests that Australia’s on the brink of an EV revolution – however, BMW also reveals that there are still a number of significant hurdles both car manufacturers, the public and the private sector need to overcome to entice more Aussies to make the switch to EVs.
BMW’s survey revealed that while two in five (39%) of Australians believe that a mileage range of 30km or less is sufficient for their day-to-day driving requirements, range anxiety remains a major concern. It also revealed that only 31% of Aussies are aware of the closest charging station to their homes, while even less (19%) are aware of the closest charging station to their workplaces.
RELATED: I Took A 1,000km Road Trip Across The UK In An Electric Car. That Could Never Happen In Australia
The other big concern, unsurprisingly, is price. Price remains by far and large the leading reason why Australians are not purchasing electric vehicles (62%), with access to charging stations and lack of knowledge about EVs also playing significant roles in the decision-making process.
But it seems we’re on the cusp of something – and if all those Aussies who were surveyed actually put their money where their mouths are and end up buying EVs in the near future, our roads will look even more different still…