MUNICH: Driving an electric car is only fun if you know you've got somewhere to charge it up again.
In spite of efforts from many governments to push consumers away from diesel and petrol, the fear of running out of juice before the next socket continues to plague electric vehicles, according to a new global study.
As charging networks remain patchy in many countries, more than a quarter (27 per cent) of people taking part in an international survey say the availability of public charging stations is "critical" for their decision whether or not to switch to an electric car.
The biggest overall concern when buying an electric car (for 45 per cent of people) is the lack of charging infrastructure, according to a study by automotive analysts at AlixPartners consultancy.
This is hardly surprising, since the number of electric cars is growing much faster than the number of public charging stations around the world, the researchers say.
"Huge hurdles remain on many fronts, including achieving parity on vehicle cost, meeting consumers’ growing expectations for digitally driven sales and ownership models, and meeting consumers’ expectations that the auto industry itself, and not just governments, work to ensure charging infrastructures," automotive analyst at AlixPartners Mark Wakefield said.
As many as 40 per cent of the 1,015 respondents from eight international markets were still concerned about the driving range of their car, while 18 per cent had fears about the safety of the battery technology.
Although the arrival of the electric car prompted fears of sudden explosions and toxic fumes from new battery technology, fire safety experts now say electric cars do not pose a higher risk of fire than conventionally powered cars.
Despite various concerns, 88 per cent of electric car drivers say they would buy one again, many noting that it's become easier to charge up home or at work. Still, 47 per cent of EV drivers say they are "mainly bothered by the charging time."
