Bridgestone can reveal that nearly half of UK motorists participating in a recent survey will be making the switch to an electric vehicle in the next five years, despite heightened concerns about charging point infrastructure and range anxiety.
A survey commissioned by Bridgestone, of 2,000 drivers shows that 40%1 will buy an EV by 2028, up 11% from when asked in 20222 (29%).
However, 67% raised fears about the availability of charging stations1, (up 1% on 20222) with exactly half of all respondents1 continuing to have range anxiety, which represents an increase of 21% from last year2.
The Bridgestone research reinforces the fact that motorists appreciate the benefits of making the switch, with 50%1 intending to do so for the potential savings from avoiding the fuel pumps and 45%1 preparing to do so for environmental benefits.
But there is still some way to go to convince all motorists that EVs are future, with 25%1 declaring that they never intend to buy one. The results come on the back of The AA’s own research3, which suggests that motorists need not be as concerned about range anxiety as they are, with just 2.1% of EV breakdowns being the result of cars running out of battery, in 2022.
The rising cost of living has also been reflected in Bridgestone’s latest research, which also revealed that 56%1 of motorists would entertain the idea of car sharing in the future to reduce outgoings and save money.
According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT4), 33,538 new plug-in cars were registered in May 2023 (47% more than 2022), with 170,000 being registered so far in 2023.
As a leader in mobility solutions, Bridgestone is already tackling some of the issues raised by developing its tyre technology to ensure that EVs can travel further between charges, whilst prolonging battery life.
Its all-new Turanza 6 tyre is the company’s first-ever ‘EV Ready’ tyre, making it perfectly suited to hybrid and electric vehicles, helping to optimise their performance. This includes low rolling resistance to save battery life and address range anxiety concerns, excellent control to address EV-specific driving-related issues, higher wear tolerance to combat tyre wear due to the increased weight and higher torque, and decreased noise for driver comfort owing to the near non-existent engine noise of EVs.
It has been created with Bridgestone’s ENLITEN technologies, which ensures that less raw materials are used and contributes to reduced rolling resistance, meaning electric vehicles can do more miles per range and be recharged less. ENLITEN technology enables a lower environmental impact through CO2 emissions reduction, resource efficiency and material circularity (use of recycled/renewable material) without any compromise on performance or safety.
Bridgestone North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti said that the survey results provided valuable insight into the future of mobility, but stressed that more work was needed to reassure all motorists of the benefits of EVs.
He said: “It’s clear that we are undergoing huge change in the automotive industry and our latest results suggest that EV sales are only going to grow, year-on-year.
“These concerns were insightful and we are addressing many of them with premium tyres that meet specific EV requirements and help deliver optimal performance, as seen in our new Bridgestone Turanza 6 tyre.”
