Clear Generational Gap in Trust
Electric Car Trust

by Morgan Flanagan Creagh | 2 min read     August 11th, 2020
 

Together we are facing into an uncertain, changing world, and in order to gather some insights into our shifting opinions, Allianz conducted its second survey of Irish attitudes towards Electric Cars, conducted by Coyne Research in April 2020 among 1,000 adults. This survey sheds light on how the Irish consumer feels about electric cars, their trust in their vehicles, and the infrastructure for electric car charging in Ireland.

In the first instalment of Allianz’s investigation into Ireland’s attitudes towards electric cars, a clear divide between rural and urban trust of electric cars was uncovered, as well as a stark generational gap. In this latest survey we still see that there are slightly lower levels of confidence in locating electric car charging points, particularly in rural Ireland. Of those surveyed in April, only 22% claimed that they would be confident driving across the country in an electric car, compared to 24% in 2019. Only 19% of respondents surveyed were confident that they could find a charging point, this is down 1% on 2019.

As with last year’s results, there is a clear generational divide when it comes to confidence in electric cars. While 35% of the 18-24 age group were confident driving an electric car across the country, only 13% of the over 55s felt the same way, this is a reduction of 8% on last year’s findings. People from Dublin were much more confident about taking a long trip in an electric car at 27%, which is up 4% on last year, while men (28%) are also still significantly more confident in electric cars than women (18%) and are even more assured than last year (25%).

In regard to confidence finding charging points, males (23%) and those aged 18-34 (28%) are the most likely to be confident in finding a charging point, while females (16%) and those aged over 55 (12%) don’t trust they will locate one. The trust levels of those aged 55+ has once again dropped, as in 2019 20% felt they could find a charging point, while only 12% feel the same way now.

The majority (65%) of respondents don’t trust the electric car charging point infrastructure in rural Ireland, while many think that Dublin has adequate available charging stations (40%). As for suburban areas, there has been an 8% increase in trust, although 44% still don’t believe that the infrastructure is good enough. Cities outside Dublin also see an increase of 4% in confidence from respondents, however 32% are still reticent about the availability of charging facilities.

Electric car safety is another area investigated by Allianz and it was found that 43% of those surveyed believe that they are safe. Males (52%), those aged 18-24 (49%), those from Dublin (50%) and those from the more affluent social class (51%) are the most likely to trust in the safety of electric cars. Again, we see females (34%) and those aged over 55 (36%) as less likely to have faith in the safety of electric cars. Those from the rest of Leinster (38%) and those from the less affluent social class (36%) are unlikely to believe that electric cars are safe.

Remaining the same as last year’s findings, those aged 18-34 and those from Dublin are the most likely to agree that petrol and diesel cars should be banned from Irish cities while those aged 45-55+ are most likely to disagree. Overall, 3 in 10 agree that petrol and diesel cars should be banned from Irish cities, while just under half of all adults disagree.

It’s clear that outside of the 18-34-year-old urban audience, there is still considerable distrust of electric cars in Ireland. The electric car charging point infrastructure in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area has had more investment¹ than other Irish regions, however an increased level of infrastructure is desperately needed throughout the island to increase driver confidence. There is also scope increase public education about the versatility and capabilities of modern electric cars which can allay fears about their usability or safety.

1: https://www.esb.ie/ecars/charge-point-map