Scepticism over UK Government’s ability to create EV infrastructure fuels consumer plans to stick with petrol and diesel

UK drivers are being deterred from making a complete switch to fully electric vehicles (EVs) by a lack of faith in the Government’s ability to deliver the necessary infrastructure, our new research reveals.

This follows an investigation by iNews revealing a delay in the Government’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy and confusion from 84 local authorities stating there is a “lack of coherent strategic direction at a national level, including no articulation of the vision for the future and lack of clarity over the role authorities were expected to play in delivering EV charging infrastructure”.

And consumers share this scepticism, with our survey of UK drivers finding that almost two thirds (63%) are not confident that the UK Government is able to create a sufficient infrastructure for there to be a smooth transition to fully electric vehicles by its own deadline of 2035.

Despite the UK Government’s plans to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 – and end the sale of new hybrid cars by 2035 - over a third (34%) do not intend to purchase a fully electric vehicle in the next decade.

Crucially however, almost half (46%) did not feel they had enough information to make an informed decision about whether their next car or van should be a fully electric vehicle or not.

In spite of growing momentum behind the movement to reduce carbon emissions, the findings identified resistance to total EV adoption, driven by concerns over the environmental impact of inadequate battery recycling, continued issues with range and an overall lack of accessible information.

Our President Professor Tom Welton said: “After we heard that the Government is delaying its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, this research shows there is much work to be done to fully convince the public at large of the merits of switching to fully electric vehicles – but more pressingly, that efforts to deliver critical infrastructure for both charging and recycling EV batteries should be a government priority. We must improve the flow of information around the government’s plans for transitioning to an entirely electric vehicle network, the ecosystem to support this and electric vehicles capabilities, all of which can help drivers to make informed purchasing decisions.

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