Say what?

Go Ultra Low, the industry and government campaign to promote plug-in electric cars in the UK, found out that there are a lot of myths connected EVs in the country.

Black Tesla Model 3 Getting Washed

One of those issues is that apparently, 42% of Brits don't know if you can put an electric car through a car wash - it's electric right? And electricity and water surely don't mix.

Well, the Foolproof Guide To Electric Driving comes to mind immediately as the wash the car topic was illustrated quite entertainingly.

The latest research shows that market potential is even bigger than previously anticipated, because people simply don't know much about electric cars. UK motorists underestimate the benefits of EVs:

47% of people think that petrol or diesel cars accelerate faster than pure electric

25% think EVs are more expensive to maintain

42% of Brits aren’t sure if you can put a pure electric car through a car wash

52% of Brits saying they wouldn’t be able to describe what an EV is to someone else

Here are some details on the survey:

"New research published today by Go Ultra Low1 has revealed that there is a huge amount of misunderstanding within the British public when it comes to pure electric cars, with many unaware of the benefits around performance, charging and cost. One of the biggest areas of confusion is whether you can put an electric car through a car wash. While this is no issue – just as with a petrol or diesel car – 42% of Brits admit they aren’t sure if this is an option for pure electric car owners. As well as this, half of Brits (52%) think they wouldn’t be able to describe what a pure electric car (a car powered solely by a battery) is to someone else. Underestimating the performance is also commonplace. Nearly half (47%) think a petrol or diesel car accelerates quicker than a pure electric, even though, in many cases, the opposite is true. Cost is a big area where people are also undervaluing their potential: 1 in 4 (25%) of Brits think that, over the lifetime of the car, maintenance costs are higher for pure electric cars than they are for petrol or diesel, when in fact a pure electric can cost around 70% less2. Brits also believe it’s significantly more expensive to charge one than it actually is. On average, people think it costs £21.54 to fully charge a pure electric car, even though charging at home could cost as little as £3.643 Most underestimate the number of models available for purchase – the average Brit thinks there are just nine models currently available in the UK, nearly half the correct figure (17) – and 42% of Brits think there are fewer than 15,000 pure electric cars on UK roads when there are already nearly 40,000. Many Brits don’t realise how many charge points there are throughout the UK. On average they think there are only 6,000 charge point connectors, when actually there are more than twice that amount, at around 17,0004. There's also confusion about the different methods for charging a pure electric car – over a quarter don’t realise you can charge an electric car through a charge point installed at home (29%)." "The survey asked respondents to answer questions regarding their knowledge of pure electric cars, which are powered purely by a battery and electric motor, not featuring an internal combustion engine. It did not ask questions regarding plug-in hybrid cars, which are powered by both a battery and electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Research by OnePoll on behalf of Go Ultra Low in June 2018 with 2,000 people aged 18 and over Kee Resources, 2017 Based on fully charging a 30kW Nissan LEAF with average overnight electricity rate of 13p per kWh, Source: pod Point Source: Zap-Map accessed 29/06/2018 Source: Inside EVs Saving calculated using the Go Ultra Low cost calculator, using a Volkswagen e-Golf vs comparable petrol and diesel-fuelled variants, with an average mileage of 700 miles per month. A hybrid would save around £300 per year in tax and fuel."

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. Over half of those surveyed don’t feel confident describing a pure electric car to another person and many aren’t aware of the many benefits electric cars can bring. Pure electric car 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.”

Top 5 myths about electric vehicles busted: