Most Australians would buy an electric car if the price of petrol doubled

Most Australians would buy an electric car if the price of petrol doubled, but only if it didn’t cost them any more, survey finds.

Up to three-quarters of Australian car buyers would consider switching to an electric vehicle if the price of petrol doubled, a Deloitte study has found.

However, two-thirds also expect an EV to cost the same or less than an equivalent petrol- or diesel-engined car, and almost half thought an EV should cost no more than $20,000.

And more than half of the 500 Australians polled for the Deloitte report said their interest in EVs would significantly diminish if they could buy a car with fuel use of 4.7 litres per 100km or better.

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The responses highlight the gap between what consumers want and what car makers are currently able to deliver, with dedicated EVs trickling onto the market in limited numbers and costing up to double the price of equivalent cars powered by conventional internal combustion engines.

Only a handful of vehicles in Australia — mostly diesel-powered city-sized cars — are capable of real-world average fuel use under 5.0L/100km.

However, EV makers can take heart from the survey’s finding that more than 90 per cent of the 500 Australians polled travelled fewer than 120km each weekday.

Mitsubishi spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher says her company's experience indicated green sentiment was more important than the price of petrol in driving buyers towards an EV.

"I think people will be taking [petrol prices] into account, but I don't know that it has a huge impact at this point," she says. "I don't know about you, but I like to shop where I understand that I'm not making a major impact on the environment."

Fletcher agrees pricing is a key motivator for buyers, but says Mitsubishi is aiming to eventually bring the $48,800 price tag on the tiny i-MiEV down to a more affordable level.

"The ultimate goal is to have the electric vehicle as a common part of our range, at comparable pricing," she says. "The price of the i-MiEV has come down by 23 per cent in the last 12 months. Name me one other car that has done that."

In other key findings:

* More than half of those surveyed — 59 per cent— identified themselves as either ‘‘potential first movers’’ or ‘‘might be willing to consider’’ when it comes to EVs; more than the US (54 per cent) and Japan (48 per cent) but fewer than Europe (69 per cent) and China (93 per cent).

* More than half (58 per cent) believed an EV battery should be able to be charged in two hours — the current industry standard is between eight and 12 hours.

Deloitte motoring industry services partner Danny Rezek says the results should prove instructive to car companies and their dealers.

‘‘While the study indicated that the mass adoption of EVs in Australia is likely to be some way off, it strongly reiterates consumers’ continued move towards more fuel-efficient vehicles,’’ he says.


SMH