According to a new study, around one in four households is planning to buy an electric car or plug-in hybrid in the next five years.
However, energy regulator Ofgem also found that more than a third of the UK’s roughly 27.8 million households said they were unlikely to get an electric vehicle during that period due to concerns about its high cost.
Opinion that the price is too high, batteries don’t provide enough range between charges, and the lack of charging stations near houses on the street all played a major role in the concerns about switching, the survey found.
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The report precedes a new regulator campaign that coincides with COP26 in Glasgow, where world leaders will discuss green initiatives and targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Climate Protection Committee assumes that around 18 million battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will be on the road by the time the sale of new internal combustion engines is banned in 2030.
However, a report by the Public Accounts Committee this week said the 2030 target would be missed without urgent measures to improve infrastructure.
Only 13 electric car models sold in the UK currently cost less than £ 30,000, the committee found.
Ofgem said changes are needed as electric vehicle owners are more open to changes in how their energy is used, including signing up for “time-of-use” tariffs to charge vehicles during off-peak hours.
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The majority of consumers (three-quarters) have recognized that power generation and transportation, such as fossil fuel and exhaust-gas power plants, are major contributors to climate change, the report added.
However, the research found that only 60% of heating in households such as gas boilers play an important role.
The International Energy Agency said gas boilers should be banned from 2025 in order to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.
Jonathan Brearley, CEO of Ofgem, said, “As more consumers move to electric vehicles over the next five years, Ofgem will announce millions of dollars in investments to create a more flexible energy system that supports vehicle electrification, renewable energy generation and low carbon Heat forms.
