With most new electric vehicles boasting at least 400 kilometres in range, I’m wondering whether range anxiety is really a big worry any more for most people thinking about buying an EV. I don’t think it should be. – Jim, Victoria
For many drivers considering an electric vehicle, range anxiety has been replaced by charging anxiety, according to a recent survey.
“We asked people what would stop them from buying an EV and range anxiety wasn’t [in the top four concerns]. … I was surprised it was so far down the list,” said Daniel Ross, senior manager for industry insights with Canadian Black Book (CBB), a Markham, Ont.-based company that tracks and forecasts used-vehicle prices. “I think consumers are realizing they don’t necessarily require that much range … and they’re seeing that EV owners are complaining that they don’t have reliable charging networks.”
In an Ipsos survey for CBB, two of the four top worries respondents expressed about EVs included charging.
The biggest drawback for most people was price, at 57 per cent. Worries about charging access came second, at 46 per cent, followed by concerns about maintenance costs, at 44 per cent, and charging reliability, at 37 per cent. Range anxiety came fifth, at 36 per cent.
“The obstacles are changing in consumers’ minds,” Ross said. “That really puts a highlight on how far we need to go in building infrastructure.”
While most EV owners who have access to charging at home or work tend to use public chargers only on longer trips, it’s something potential buyers worry about, Ross said.
Concerns about high maintenance costs were surprising, Ross said, because the maintenance costs for EVs, which don’t need oil changes, are generally lower than for gas-powered vehicles.
He said it’s possible that the fear is fuelled by misconceptions about battery life and fears that batteries may have to be replaced a few years after buying the car.
In fact, most auto makers provide a warranty of eight to 10 years or 160,000 kilometres on EV batteries these days, and many newer batteries are expected to outlive the car, experts say.
Home with the range?
Fears about range anxiety are dissipating. About a third of respondents said range anxiety was a major barrier keeping them out of EVs, Ross said.
“[People are seeing] examples now of vehicles reaching 450 or 500 kilometres per charge,” he said.
Almost half (44 per cent) of people surveyed said they are considering buying an EV. That is up from 29 per cent from last year, Ross said.
That’s likely because of the surge in current and upcoming EV models, Ross said. Increased familiarity is also playing a role, as people are seeing EVs driving around their communities.
“There are just so many more examples of EVs in the market now [to consider] – I mean, they might not be able to get their hands on them [because of production delays], but at least they know they’re being produced,” he said. “They’re here and now, and coming from legacy manufacturers as well. Now it’s not just Tesla and Rivian, but [traditional] manufacturers like Hyundai, Ford and Toyota.”
To ease some of these consumer fears and spur wider EV adoption, Ross thinks governments and auto makers need to build more – and more reliable – charging infrastructure.
With EVs in high demand, he wonders whether the government money used for incentives to reward people for buying electric vehicles could be better spent on charging infrastructure.
“When you can’t produce these electric vehicles fast enough and they’re basically selling every one they can get, why are we incentivizing that?” Ross said.
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Jason Tchir