Can you put an electric vehicle through a car wash? Almost half of Brits believe you can’t
From the cost of charging electric cars to being unable to describe what they even are, new research reveals how little we actually know
DESPITE electric car owners on the rise in the UK, it seems the nation is still trying to get its head around how they actually work.
A whopping 42 per cent of Brits are not sure whether or not a fully electric vehicle (EV) can be driven through a car wash, according to new research published by Go Ultra Low - a joint industry and government campaign.
Over half of the public would struggle to describe what a pure electric car is to someone else, whilst many think it costs £21.54 on average to fully charge one.
In actuality, the popular electric Nissan Leaf would cost a mere £3.64 to completely re-charge overnight at home with rates set around 13p per kWh (kilowatt an hour).
This misconception may also be the reason why one in four Brits believe petrol and diesels are cheaper to maintain over a car's lifetime.
Research by Kee Resources suggests that an electric car can in fact cost up to 70 per cent less.
Although higher upfront costs may occur for an EV, you could save around £650 in tax and fuel every year.
A government grant also subsidises the sale price of a eligible electric cars by up to £4,500.
Whilst over a quarter of Brits are unaware that an electric car can be charged at home at all, the average person thinks there are 6,000 refuelling connectors on the roads.
There are currently 16,738 charge points across the UK to supply the 40,000 fully-electric cars on the road. The people surveyed believed there are fewer than 15,000 EVs on the road.
Brits also have 17 models to choose from, despite the average person thinking there's only nine different cars.
Nearly half of the population also think that traditionally-fuelled vehicles accelerate quicker than electric, when - in many cases - the opposite is true because electric motors can generate power faster.
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Poppy Welch, Head of Go Ultra Low, said: "The research shows that there is much confusion and misunderstanding with the British public when it comes to pure electric cars.
"Their drivers benefit from lower running costs, convenient charging and high-performance driving, all while producing no tailpipe emissions and helping to improve local air quality.
"Dispelling these misconceptions and highlighting these perks is therefore vital if we are to see more motorists make the switch to electric motoring."