How do people who drive EVs feel about their range and what does the future hold?
As mentioned in our previous blog article, electric vehicles are rapidly increasing in popularity, but their range and the fear they cannot go far enough (range anxiety) remains one of the most frequent objections. How do EV drivers perceive their travel range today, and is range anxiety still a relevant issue?
In 2023, the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) surveyed 1,526 drivers about their experience when driving their electric car, including 96 Belgian drivers surveyed by VUB (Brussels Free University) and Touring.
Only 30% of respondents indicated that their car actually travels the distance of their official range. Typically, the actual range is 10 to 20% less. Nevertheless, 82% of respondents appear to be satisfied with their range, and only a small minority of 5% find their range unsatisfactory. 83% say they will choose an electric car again.
500 km range is the target
According to an international study by consultancy firm McKinsey in 2024, a driving range of 500 km is the holy grail, both for present EV drivers and drivers of traditional diesel and petrol vehicles who are considering switching.
The majority of respondents to the 2023 EAFO survey did not have this range available: 29% of the drivers surveyed owned a vehicle with an official (WLTP) range of 301 to 400 kilometres, and 41% owned an EV with a range of 401 to 500 kilometres.
However, the official range of newer models is increasing, with models that can cover up to 600 km and more on a single battery charge. We therefore expect to see increasing satisfaction in terms of range over the next few years.
Where do drivers charge their electric vehicles?
According to the EAFO survey, many drivers primarily charge at home (33%) or at work (22%), while more and more are making their way to public charging stations (15%) and even rapid charging stations (13% several times a week, 27% several times a month). The charging speed of public charging stations is rated as important by the vast majority (75%).
A small point worth mentioning? Public charging stations need to be equipped more often with a fixed charging cable, as is already the case for newer charging stations at home or at work, or fast charging stations.
Will range anxiety vanish entirely soon?
One of the most frequently heard objections to buying an electric car relates to holiday journeys by car. Of the 1,536 respondents, 69% think they will need to stop to charge too often, and 60% fear that there may be insufficient charging points along their route.
Despite this, the survey shows that 55% of EV drivers have already been on holiday several times with their electric car, with more than 70% finding charging abroad simple and enjoying the driving range and the silence during long-distance trips.
Incidentally, in a recent worldwide study by the Global EV Alliance, only 20% report that they regularly experience queues at rapid charging stations. From the figures from the Global EV Alliance, in which 23,254 respondents were surveyed in 18 countries (not including Belgium), 92% said they would choose an EV again, and virtually no one experienced range anxiety on a regular basis, especially among the European drivers surveyed.
Will the discussion about range soon disappear completely? We very much hope so.
