New research commissioned by fuel specialist Circle K has shown that over half of Irish motorists believe they will be driving electric vehicles by 2030. 53% said they would be driving electric to reduce emissions, while 40% said they would consider switching to an electric vehicle within the next three years. 

Electric vehicles are seen by most (70%) Irish motorists as playing a significant role in reducing Ireland’s level of greenhouse gas emissions. The research also found that forecourts will continue to play a significant role in powering Ireland’s transport needs, with over two fifths of motorists saying they will rely on forecourts for access to EV charging facilities in the future. Circle K is preparing for this future and currently has EV charging points located at more than a quarter of its company owned sites nationwide, with more being added over the coming years. 

Research also found that 56% of motorists feel the current charging infrastructure would not meet their needs if they switched to an EV. This was the primary reason given for not making the switch, followed by the expense of purchasing an electric vehicle (37%), lack of knowledge of electric vehicles (16%) and range anxiety (15%).

With over a quarter (29%) of motorists not having access to a dedicated parking spot at their home to charge an electric vehicle, 43% say they will rely on forecourts for access to charging facilities in the future. The research also revealed that only 42% of adults are aware of their nearest charging station. 

Over half (55%) of motorists are concerned that having to charge an electric vehicle will be awkward and time consuming. When it comes to charging times, 58% of all adults think it takes less than two hours to charge an electric vehicle, with most (27%) thinking that it takes one to two hours to fully charge.

Irish motorists have differing opinions on the range of electric vehicles, with a fifth (20%) believing that the maximum distance an electric vehicle can go on a single charge is around 80-100km, 58% believe it is under 200km, a third (33%) believe it is 200-400km and fewer than one in ten (9%) think it is 400km or more.

The research has revealed that despite most motorists believing they will be driving an electric vehicle by 2030, only 30% believe that the Irish Government’s target of having one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 is achievable, with just 17% of respondents feeling the Government is doing enough to incentivise the purchase of electric vehicles and a third (33%) are unaware of the Electric Vehicle Grant Scheme.

Commenting on the research findings, Senior Director Fuel at Circle K Ireland, Jonathan Diver said, “EV charging solutions are improving all the time; for example, many of our EV charging facilities have the capability to fully charge vehicles in just over 15 minutes. We are very fortunate at Circle K that we have access to the very best insights globally through our colleagues across the Circle K global network. wherein Norway, our colleagues are leading our global EV strategy and EVs actually outsell traditional combustible engine cars. We see forecourts there that only retail electricity while in others EV chargers sit alongside petrol and diesel pumps. We have an understanding of what the future might look like in this regard and this will be crucial to our own EV journey here in Ireland.”