Millennials are the UK’s leading EV adopters

By 2030 well over half expect to drive a battery electric vehicle or BEV or a hybrid. Across all age groups, this shift suggests EVs will outnumber conventionally powered road transport by the end of the decade. 

 

The company behind the survey, battery specialists CTEK, describe UK drivers in their 30s as ‘Generation E’. They say this age group is environmentally aware and can afford to choose electric vehicles. Not far behind them are the 18 to 29 year-olds, who are the second most likely age group to choose EVs. However, drivers over 55 still prefer traditional petrol and diesel vehicles. 

 

Most of those who have already chosen plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or PHEVs will shift to fully electric vehicles by 2035. Just one in 25 say they would go back to a petrol or diesel car. Drivers of self-charging hybrid vehicles will probably do the same, with eight out of 10 choosing BEVs by 2035. 

 

Overall, over a third say they would buy a BEV, PHEV or non-plug-in-hybrid as their next car. As electric cars become available on the second-hand market, almost half of ‘Generation E’ say they might buy a used EV. 

 

Younger drivers choosing EVs will bring millions more electric vehicles to our roads in a decade. However, the public charging network must keep pace to meet demand. 

 

Experts suggest the charging network must be eight times larger by 2035, even if only one-third of vehicles are electric. The findings come from analysis of over 140million records of annual mileage across the country. A large part of the demand will come from the on-street households which will rely on public chargers. The power required if all vehicles were electric would represent almost a quarter of all the electricity generated in 2022. 

 

The government has set a target of 300,000 chargers by 2030. While EVs will become more efficient and public charging technology will improve this probably won’t provide enough capacity. 

 

Of course, to reduce your reliance on public charging you can install a home EV charger. If you have space and a suitable energy supply you can make sure your vehicle has a full charge, ready for your day to day needs.