One in three business drivers does not expect to be able to switch from fossil fuels.
Recent research by ANWB Zakelijk shows that more than a third (35 percent) of SMEs and the self-employed do not expect to be able to switch from fossil fuels to electric propulsion in their work. The research focused on the attitude of entrepreneurs towards electric driving and the possible obstacles they experience.
The main stumbling block for entrepreneurs is the purchase price of electric cars, according to 69 percent of the respondents. The alleged limited range is also a concern for 57 percent of entrepreneurs. A majority indicated that they would strive for a range of six hundred kilometers on a full battery. In addition, too few public charging points (29 percent) and concerns about battery life (26 percent) were cited as barriers.
It is striking that the desire for a higher range seems to be greater than the actual need. Half of the entrepreneurs stated that they drive less than fifty kilometers per day. Patrick van Weert, Product Manager at ANWB Zakelijk, points out that this contradiction may stem from the fact that entrepreneurs are used to refueling only once or twice a week, while electric vehicles have to be charged daily.
Another remarkable result of the research is that the type of vehicle influences the perception of entrepreneurs about electric driving. Of the entrepreneurs with a company bus, 61 percent indicated that they could not drive electrically, while only 31 percent of the entrepreneurs with passenger cars indicated this. Within the group of entrepreneurs who lease, 30 percent indicated that they would not be able to switch to electric vehicles.
Van Weert emphasized that many prejudices about electric driving seem to stem from a lack of information. For example, some entrepreneurs think that the space in electric company buses is more limited than in their current vehicles, when in reality this is not the case. He also pointed out that car manufacturers are developing rapidly, especially in the field of electric commercial buses.
Entrepreneurs see the biggest disadvantage of an electric car in the purchase price (69 percent). In second place, they expect that the range is still insufficient (57 percent).
The survey also found that diesel drivers were the least optimistic about the possibility of electric driving within their line of work, with 57 percent saying they did not consider this possible. Among petrol drivers, 34 percent thought it was not feasible, while hybrid drivers were more positive, with 26 percent ruling out electric driving.
An interesting finding was that the attitude of entrepreneurs towards electric business driving was more positive than their expected possibilities to switch. About half of all SMEs and self-employed persons were positive about electric driving. Most entrepreneurs were particularly positive in the catering, recreation, tourism and culture (64 percent) and health and welfare (60 percent) sectors.
Even within professional groups where the majority indicated that they had no option to switch to electric driving, a large proportion still had a positive attitude. For example, in the industrial sector, where 67 percent thought they could not drive electrically, 43 percent had a positive attitude. The same applied to the transport and logistics sector, where 61 percent thought they could not drive electrically, but 38 percent had a positive attitude.
Finally, Van Weert emphasized the importance of information. He encouraged entrepreneurs to learn more about electric driving in order to reap future benefits and avoid unexpected challenges. After all, with the rapid developments in the automotive industry, especially in the field of electric company buses, investments in the future can turn out to be beneficial.
The ANWB Zakelijk survey was conducted in March 2023 among 633 self-employed persons and SMEs involved in business mobility. It provided insight into their attitude towards electric driving, the different types of vehicles and the number of kilometers driven.
Source: ANWB Business
