Home>Articles>0.2% of the Dutch fleet consists of electric cars

0.2% of the Dutch fleet consists of electric cars

editors

05 December 2017

3 min

Only 0.2% of the Dutch fleet currently consists of electric vehicles. 38% of the Dutch are interested in an electric car. Of this group, 37% are actually considering buying one within five years. This amounts to one-seventh of all Dutch consumers. Therefore, there is still a long way to go to a broad embrace of electric vehicles in the Netherlands.

This is according to ANWB's Elektrisch Rijden Monitor, in which the organisation collected data on electric vehicles and their use. Figures from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) show that a total of 19,041 fully electric vehicles were driving around on Dutch roads on 31 October 2017. This represents about 0.2% of the total 8.22 million passenger cars on Dutch roads in 2017, according to CBS. In comparison, there were 98,367 plug-in hybrids driving in our country on 31 October 2017, representing about 1.2% of the total Dutch fleet.

Main reasons to buy an electric car

38% of Dutch consumers are considering buying an electric vehicle. 85% of this group cite the environment as the reason for purchasing such a vehicle. Figures from TNO endorse this; an electric vehicle generates 35% to 55% less CO2 emissions than a comparable petrol car. 46% of consumers see running costs as an important reason for buying an electric vehicle. This is striking, as figures from the ANWB show that, in practice, an electric vehicle is actually more expensive per kilometre than a petrol car. For example, an electric vehicle costs 55.9 euro cents per kilometre, while a petrol car costs 50.6 euro cents per kilometre.

44% of Dutch consumers say that buying an electric vehicle will prepare them for the future. 41% cite not having to refuel anymore as their main advantage, while 38% point to the good driving characteristics of electric vehicles. An equally large group says they simply like new things and are therefore interested in electric cars.

21% of consumers are not interested

21% of Dutch consumers say they are not interested in an electric car. This group sees all kinds of reasons for not wanting to buy an electric car. For example, 65% say they find the vehicles too expensive. Currently, 18 models of electric cars are available for a purchase price of up to 50,000 euros, figures from the ANWB show. 31% cite the range of electric vehicles as the main reason not to buy. Figures based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), a standardised test drive used in vehicle type approval, show that the average range of an electric car is 222 kilometres.

26% of consumers say they will wait with their purchase until a more common electric car appears on the market. 15% state that an electric vehicle cannot be used for holidays and see this as a reason not to purchase one. Charging the vehicles also appears to be perceived as a problem by consumers. For example, 24% of Dutch consumers say they want to wait for the arrival of more charging stations, while 16% see no possibility of charging an electric vehicle. Figures from the RVO show that 949 fast chargers and 31,369 public charging posts are currently available in the Netherlands.