Electric car enthusiasm wanes: 42% of Belgians not interested in making the switch
Appetite for electric cars among the Belgian population appears to be waning, with some 42 per cent of households today saying they would never switch to an electric or hybrid vehicle. Some 37 per cent want to switch to electric or hybrid by 2029, compared with 47 per cent a year earlier, a survey commissioned by BNP Paribas Fortis shows.
Last year, the amount of people saying they would never make the switch was only 35%, although the rising percentage (+ 7 per cent) can be partly explained by the fact that a lot of 'early adopters' have now bought an electric car.
According to the survey, conducted among 2,000 Belgians, many motorists no longer know which type of drive to choose and doubt the usefulness of switching to an electric car. Two in three Belgians describe the European Union's decision to ban sales of new cars with combustion engines by 2035 as "a bad or even very bad decision".
Brussels is the exception
"Among a large proportion of Belgians, the belief that the electric car is the future is eroding," says Nicolas De Vijlder of BNP Paribas Fortis. "We see the appetite of Belgians to switch to an electric car by 2029 decreasing year by year." Some 37 per cent of Belgian households want to switch to an electric or hybrid car by 2029, compared with 47 per cent during the same survey a year earlier.
"Among a large proportion of Belgians, the belief that the electric car is the future is eroding"
Appetite appears to be declining in both Flanders (40 per cent want to switch by 2029, compared to 51 per cent in the previous survey) and Wallonia (30 per cent, down from 42 per cent). In Brussels, on the other hand, the reverse trend is taking place: 47 per cent of respondents want to switch before 2029, compared to 41 per cent a year earlier.
Range anxiety
Especially the autonomy of the electric car is mentioned by respondents as a disadvantage, but private customers also appear to be put off by the high purchase price of EV's. Meanwhile, one in six Belgians have already bought themselves an electric or plug-in hybrid car. Remarkably, most appear to be particularly satisfied with their purchase, the survey shows.
In the period from January to October last year, more new electric than diesel cars were registered in Europe for the first time. The biggest increases were recorded in Belgium (147.3 per cent) and in Denmark (100.7 per cent).
© BELGA PHOTO JORIS VLIEGEN
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