Boosting the confidence of used EV buyers is as important for improving consumer demand as pricing, according to the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
Ric Baird, board director at the AFP, explained that more needs to be done to make EVs feel as much a secure and sensible purchase as a petrol or diesel equivalent.
Baird said that the main confidence factors were establishing the long-term reliability of EV batteries and making charging as economical and accessible as possible.
He said: “There is a huge amount of misinformation around about EV batteries, ranging from their supposed propensity to self-combust to the speed at which they degrade. However, all the available evidence now shows them to be stable, robust and long-lasting, with degradation generally occurring at a slow and predictable rate. That needs to be communicated.
“What we really need to see very quickly is the establishment of an industry backed battery health check designed to reassure consumers in this respect, providing them with the credible information they need to make an informed buying decision. While the government is reportedly working on a project to deliver this, it can’t arrive soon enough.
“Equally, while the charging infrastructure is growing at a pace, its presence is patchy and public chargers are often expensive. Especially for people living in terraced houses or apartments without the off-road parking for their own charger, there needs to be cost effective, convenient charging provided very quickly.”
Baird added that measures were also needed to boost EV confidence among car dealers.
He said: “There remain car dealers who won’t touch a used EV and that’s a situation that can’t continue.
“Again, there needs to be an understanding that buying and selling electric cars and vans is something that can be done with certainty in 2025.”
