Renault eWays - Electric mobility barometer: 8 out of 10 europeans want to speed up the switch to electric mobility

The electrification of vehicles promises to reshape the mobility landscape and the transformation is finally accelerating. Despite the COVID-19 economic crisis, which affects the global automotive market, 100% electric vehicle registrations rose 70% in Europe from January to October 2020 compared to the same period last year. If sales of electric and hybrid vehicles have soared in 2020, they should be even more successful in the coming years.

The Renault eWays electric mobility barometer also confirms the growing awareness among Europeans of the challenges of climate change. Eight out of ten Europeans are calling for more hybrid and electric vehicles over the next ten years.

Most Europeans are in favour of this transition to electrified powertrains, convinced of the environmental benefits of electric and hybrid vehicles. Indeed, nearly one in two Europeans even consider it a priority. Far from being seen as a passing fad, the transition to electric and hybrid vehicles is expected, with 54% of respondents even feeling that this transition is too slow.

Europeans are convinced that electric and hybrid vehicles will help limit pollution. Based on this conviction, 38% say they are ready to switch quickly to electric vehicles, while the trend is even stronger for hybrid vehicles, with 47% saying that it is possible that their next car will be hybrid. Paradoxically, even if the preference is for electrified vehicles, there is a lack of driving experience: 76% of Europeans say they have never driven an electric or hybrid car.

Finally, the COVID-19 crisis has changed the mobility habits of European citizens, with 43% of them now declaring the risk of epidemics and contagion as the main criterion for choosing the mode of transport, particularly in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.

What about the French?

A key lesson of the study tells us that Covid-19 changes mobility habits: less public transport, more consideration of health criteria when choosing a mode of transport with the French the most likely to use their car for their daily commute (73% versus 53% for the G5).

Climate change, a French concern? It appears as the second biggest concern of the French (41%), just behind the coronavirus epidemic (52%). The French are among the 5 European countries surveyed those that give the greatest importance to this climate issue – 41% versus 33% on average, tied with the Germans. Nonetheless, French citizens are at the end of the race to act with only 48% of them saying they have made some changes to their way of life to fight against global warming.

The French, top for driving pleasure… in silence! 81% of the French who have ever driven an electric or hybrid vehicle think that driving an electric vehicle is more enjoyable than driving a thermal vehicle. This is a record in Europe!

Short- and medium-term projections show a strong appetite for electric vehicles. More than a third of Europeans (30% for the French) think their next vehicle could be an electric vehicle. These intentions are higher in the long term (55% of Europeans in the next 10 years). The main motivation for buying an electric or hybrid vehicle is related to the cost reduction for 45% of French people. 40% of citizens identify battery life as the main obstacle to buying an electric or hybrid vehicle while second and third are the cost and the issue of battery recycling.