Challenges with EV adoption, including cost, charging infrastructure, and vehicle choice, are easing for employers – but despite this, their resistance to fleet electrification is increasing.
That’s the view of drivers surveyed by Europcar for its latest EV Barometer research.
The rental company found that in Q3 of 2024, 40% of drivers believed the cost of vehicle purchase and maintenance was stopping their employer from electrifying, compared with 41% in Q2.
Concern about charging infrastructure was down from 36% to 35%, and concern about a lack of model choice and vehicle availability was down from 20% to 18%, while concern about a lack of knowledge was down from 21% to 18%.
Despite these improvements, however, the percentage of drivers who believed their employer was resistant to EVs rose from 14% to 15%.
Europcar head of electric mobility Tom Middleditch said: “The changes may be small, but it is encouraging to see most of the figures moving in the right direction. As improvements continue in these areas, and people gain more knowledge and understanding of electric motoring, we believe we will soon also see a reduction in resistance.
“There has been a lot of negative press around EVs in recent years. Range anxiety remains a concern despite the battery technology improving significantly. The unknown of a new way of driving is also a barrier which means changing to an electric fleet seems too high a risk for many businesses.
“However, we have found that when business drivers have the opportunity to try out electric motoring for themselves, in real-world conditions, the confidence increases significantly. And electric rental helps hesitant drivers understand how zero emissions mobility can fit into their daily lives.”
