Motorists vote in favour of payment by distance driven - British public identify solution to electric car conundrum
14th June 2011
Source:
Burson-Marsteller UK
Burson-Marsteller UK (B-M UK) and its sister agency, Penn, Schoen and Berland (PSB), today launched a transport study which found that six out ten people would be favourable to a Pay-As-You-Drive (PAYD) system of charging motorists. The survey also shows the general public believe that the electric car will be key to solving future transport challenges.
The survey which questioned both consumers and transport experts revealed an overwhelming 64 percent of consumers said they would support a PAYD replacement system, where drivers could pay for their road use depending on which roads they use, and when they use them, so long as this was a replacement for fuel duty rather than an additional charge. Transport experts however believed that the implementation of Pay-As-You-Drive was a political impossibility as no government would risk upsetting the public with what is perceived to be an unpopular measure.
Transport experts also warned that the advent of the electric car could potential
“A significant contradiction is highlighted here between consumer opinion and political inertia,” says George Hutchinson, Managing Director and Chair of, Public Affairs Practice, B-M UK. “Despite transport experts claiming PAYD is a political impossibility due to the dangers of unsettling the motorist electorate, the public we interviewed say clearly it’s an option that they would consider and that they regard as fair.”
Industry leaders were also asked how long it would take for the electric car to account for 20 percent of personal transport, where their responses were split. 39 percent argued it would only take 5 to 15 years for this to be achieved, but 39 percent felt that it would go beyond 2026 with 9 percent believing the electric car may never become a popular or viable consumer choice. Moreover, even those who responded positively noted that the electric car currently had severe limitations that would need to be overcome for uptake to be truly widespread, including:
• Policy; expert respondents noted that the Government needs to have a clear and holistic policy for promoting the electric car
• Infrastructure; industry respondents noted that without the necessary charging infrastructure in place the take up of electric cars will be slow
• Technology; many industry panellists believe that the technology has a long way to go before it becomes commercially viable, raising particular concerns about the ability of the electric car to travel long distances
Other roadblocks on the way to the electric cars’ success are highlighted. Despite nearly half of consumers seeing electric cars as having no, or almost no, environmental impact, this was an assertion strongly questioned by industry leaders. Overwhelmingly, three out of four industry respondents argued that the electric car is only as green as the electricity it is powered by.
“It is clear that the road to electric car dominance is not going to be straight,” says Hutchinson. “Industry and policy makers will need to act if electric car usage is to live up to consumer expectation in terms of its green credentials and the infrastructure needed for them operate at maximum capacity.”
Other key findings from the study include:
• 71 percent of consumers favoured vehicles that cause more pollution paying more to use the roads
• 68 percent of transport industry leaders believe the London Congestion Charge has been a success
• More than three-quarters (76 percent) of the transport experts felt that fuel duty had no impact on driving behaviour with just 11 percent stating that it had a marginal effect and no-one seeing its effect as significant
Industry leaders were also asked how long it would take for the electric car to account for 20 percent of personal transport, where their responses were split. 39 percent argued it would only take 5 to 15 years for this to be achieved, but 39 percent felt that it would go beyond 2026 with 9 percent believing the electric car may never become a popular or viable consumer choice. Moreover, even those who responded positively noted that the electric car currently had severe limitations that would need to be overcome for uptake to be truly widespread, including:
• Policy; expert respondents noted that the Government needs to have a clear and holistic policy for promoting the electric car
• Infrastructure; industry respondents noted that without the necessary charging infrastructure in place the take up of electric cars will be slow
• Technology; many industry panellists believe that the technology has a long way to go before it becomes commercially viable, raising particular concerns about the ability of the electric car to travel long distances
Other roadblocks on the way to the electric cars’ success are highlighted. Despite nearly half of consumers seeing electric cars as having no, or almost no, environmental impact, this was an assertion strongly questioned by industry leaders. Overwhelmingly, three out of four industry respondents argued that the electric car is only as green as the electricity it is powered by.
“It is clear that the road to electric car dominance is not going to be straight,” says Hutchinson. “Industry and policy makers will need to act if electric car usage is to live up to consumer expectation in terms of its green credentials and the infrastructure needed for them operate at maximum capacity.”
Other key findings from the study include:
• 71 percent of consumers favoured vehicles that cause more pollution paying more to use the roads
• 68 percent of transport industry leaders believe the London Congestion Charge has been a success
• More than three-quarters (76 percent) of the transport experts felt that fuel duty had no impact on driving behaviour with just 11 percent stating that it had a marginal effect and no-one seeing its effect as significant
Similar articles
More from Burson-Marsteller UK
Product Centre Updates
2024 World Battery & Energy Storage Industry Expo (WBE)
8th August 2024
China 1st and 2nd Floor, Area A, China Import and Export Fair Complex
Write a comment
No comments