The French are the most sceptical of all Europeans about electric cars, a new study has revealed.
The study conducted by the Cetelem observatory concluded that 62 perc ent of Europeans doubt that electricity production is sufficient to meet the need for electric cars.
Britain has been quite behind of accepting electric vehicles as it has some of the toughest regulations in the world to encourage more electric cars on roads
The survey published on Tuesday was carried out in 16 countries from June 28 to July 17 this year. The countries covered under the study include Germany, Austria, Belgium, China, Spain, United States, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom and Turkey.
It further stated that six out of ten people think it is difficult to buy a car and it is the French who are the most sceptical about electric cars, shows this study carried out in 16 countries and among 15,000 people.
While the sale of new cars with petrol or diesel engines will be banned from 2035 within the European Union, many motorists remain very much against buying an electric car. Among Europeans who wish to buy a car, 41 per cent are still considering the possibility of opting for a model with a petrol or diesel engine and only 27 per cent say they want to choose an electric car as a priority.
In detail, one in two people first point out a lack of information concerning the new regulations regarding motorisation and traffic. A vagueness particularly felt in Japan, but also in Norway. Conversely, the Italians as well as the Chinese and the Spanish consider themselves to be clear on this topic.
Faced with the risks of power cuts and the increase in the price of electricity, the French are wondering if the electric car is the right choice. They are not the only ones, 62 per cent of Europeans doubt that electricity production is sufficient to meet the needs of electric cars.
The purchase price is another obstacle for just over one in two Europeans. The gap is still significant between petrol cars and electric cars.
These reluctances could benefit Chinese models whose quality-price ratio is generally considered superior to European models.
In total, 15,000 people were interviewed online (CAWI collection method). These people aged 18 to 65 come from national samples representative of each country. The representativeness of the sample is ensured by the quota method (sex, age). 3,000 interviews were carried out in France and 800 in each of the other countries.
