The biggest obstacle for Belgians wishing to make the switch to electric vehicles is the price, mobility organisation Touring's Electric Driving Monitor revealed on Thursday.
One in three Belgians has a negative attitude towards electric driving and just one in four intends to buy an electric car within the next five years. This puts Belgium far below other European countries, with only France having a poorer attitude towards driving electric vehicles.
The biggest obstacle to getting an electric vehicle is the price: Belgians keen to go electric are willing to pay an average of €27,000. In the electric car market this doesn't buy much, motor group Touring explains. In the top twenty best-selling electric models, only two cost between €30,000 and €40,000; all the rest cost more.
However, the Vias road safety institute previously ran the numbers of electric cars versus petrol cars and found that, over time, electric cars are more financially attractive. Alongside lower fuel costs, they also lose less value – making them a more appealing investment with a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than fossil fuelled vehicles.
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Another concern is the driving range of electric cars. Currently, the average electric car achieves around 350 kilometres on a charge. Those considering buying an e-car would prefer to be able to drive around 400 kilometres. Belgians also wonder whether the electricity grid is sufficiently robust.
The consumers surveyed see benefits in a purchase subsidy to boost electric car sales. An exemption from registration and road tax is also high on the wish list, as is a private charging spot at home or at work.
The Electric Driving Monitor was conducted by the Free University of Brussels in ten European countries. In Belgium, 1,668 people took part in the study.
