Jaguar says UK owners more receptive to electric cars than government thinks

(June 23, 2014) LONDON — The Department of Transport published "Public Attitudes Towards Electric Vehicles" on June 19 and reported that: "Only 5% of respondents said that they were thinking about buying an electric car or van, 56% said that they had not thought about buying one with an additional 14% saying that they had thought about buying one and decided not to."

In a recent survey of 3,896 known Jaguar owners by WeLoveAnyCar.com, the UK’s biggest car review site, 12% said they would buy an all-electric Jaguar and 26% said they would seriously consider buying one. 

A WeLoveAnyCar.com spokesman said, “The car market has many different niches and this can’t be reflected in a survey of less than 700 car drivers surveyed by the DoT. We asked Jaguar owners specifically because they now have a choice to buy the US-made Tesla, an all-electric luxury car with a range of about 300 miles.”

The DoT survey said that older men (65 plus) were more likely to discount the thought of an electric car.  60% of WeLoveAnyCar.com Jaguar survey respondents were over 60 years of age and it is clear they are more open to the idea of an electric vehicle.

There is a need for more education not only from the government but by the car industry.  Every month new advances in battery technology, new hybrid combinations and even compressed air driven cars are announced.  Both the DoT survey and WeLoveAnyCar.com found that charging intervals and, most important, maximum range figures, were the key concerns of all motorists.

The WeLoveAnyCar.com spokesman said, “Above all, our car review site highlights the fact that different motorists choose different cars to meet their needs which will always include consideration of cost, reliability and economy. The DoT asked a general question of a very small cross section of motorists, but the real progress in electric vehicles will come from car makers who target specific motoring niches with solutions which make sense to them, their lifestyle and the size of their wallet.”