What Drives Queensland Electric Car Owners

Research out of Griffith University has revealed some interesting stuff about early-adopter electric vehicle owners in Queensland.

Dr Anna Mortimore (pictured above) from Griffith Business School led the first comprehensive survey of battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid car owners in Australia, which kicked off in February. Among aspects Dr. Mortimore was keen to understand were how owners were using their vehicles, how satisfied they were, and how and where owners are charging their EVs.

Climate Conscious And Cashed Up

The results of the survey, carried out in collaboration with QLD’s Department of Transport and Main Roads and Energy Queensland, are in and indications are early adopters of electric vehicles in Queensland are generally:

“climate-conscious tech enthusiasts willing to pay more to reduce their carbon emissions”

Dr. Mortimore said she was surprised with the owners’ focus on emissions reduction. But it was a similar situation in the very early days of Australia’s solar revolution, when the cost of solar panels was far more than now. I distinctly remember a fairly sudden shift from the focus being on environmental benefits to the financial benefits of installing PV – but generous subsidies played a major role.

Dr. Mortimore points out:

“There are no significant subsidies or incentives for buying an EV and consumers are concerned with range anxiety and the availability of public charging infrastructure. Early adopters are essentially paying more for their cars and are adjusting their lifestyle, driving habits and energy needs.”

Survey Says..

Among the findings of the survey, which involved 370 respondents:

• Most early adopters are men, university-educated and high-income earners.
• The majority live in detached homes.
• 93% recharged at home during off-peak hours to reduce charging costs.
• More than half surveyed were using a combination of grid electricity and solar power for charging.
• 6% of respondents were only using their solar power systems.
• Most weekday travel did not exceed 70 kilometres daily.
• Up to half of respondents drove no more than 50 kilometres daily.
• Weekend driving patterns shifted slightly upwards.
• Over half of the owners were extremely satisfied with their EV.
• More than two-third were extremely likely to buy another electric vehicle in the future.

Dr. Mortimore said the survey results match up with similar international surveys and should act as a flag to policy makers that there’s an opportunity to build on the early adopter base through targeted incentives.

“But without a mandatory national policy to reduce carbon emissions on our road, our climate future could depend on the goodwill of consumers paying more to drive EVs.”

Back in 2017, SQ’s Ronald outlined why electric cars will roll over the competition. On the topic of the provision of subsidies, he wasn’t so enthusiastic; later stating:

“Nope! But we should make cars pay for pollution“

For the EV-curious out there who are also wondering how many solar panels are needed on a home to support an electric vehicle, check out SQ’s Homeowner’s Guide To Solar And Electric Cars.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/ev-owners-survey-mb1670/