EV confidence grows… but so does fleet resistance – Europcar

November 21, 2024

The Europcar EV Barometer for Quarter 3 2024 reveals that, while barriers to switching to electric fleets are decreasing, resistance has slightly increased from 14% in Q2 to 15% in Q3.

Challenges with charging, costs and vehicle choice remain key obstacles for fleet managers. EV knowledge is improving, and a lack of understanding is now less of an issue than earlier in the year. However, 40% of employee respondents in Q3 still cite purchase and maintenance costs as barriers, with 35% highlighting insufficient charging infrastructure.

Lack of model choice, vehicle availability and EV understanding have all decreased as obstructions cited, but they remain challenges for about 18% of respondents.

“The changes may be small, but it is encouraging to see most of the figures moving in the right direction,” said Tom Middleditch, Head of Electric Mobility at Europcar. “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.”

He added, “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, their confidence increases significantly. And electric rental helps hesitant drivers understand how zero emissions mobility can fit into their daily lives.”