48 per cent of Aussie motorists are considering an EV, says BMW

A new study commissioned by BMW has found 48 per cent of Australians would consider an electric vehicle as their next new car purchase, with males aged 18-34 deemed most likely to make the switch.

The results of the study have been released today to coincide with World Environment Day and were extrapolated from the responses of more than 1000 Australian motorists aged between 18 and 75, nationwide.

In addition to gauging buyer intentions, the survey asked participants about the barriers to purchasing an EV in Australia, with the two most prominent being the sheer cost of electric cars and range anxiety.

“While respondents exhibited interest in EVs, range anxiety emerged as a prominent concern,” BMW said in a statement.

“Participants emphasised the importance of an extensive charging network and accessible charging stations to alleviate this concern.”

Conversely, only 31 per cent of participants were aware of the nearest charging station to their home, while 19 per cent knew the location of the charging station closest to their workplace.

The study also found that two in five Australians believe that a mileage range of 30km or less is sufficient for their day-to-day driving requirements.

“Most respondents indicated that a mileage range of less than 60km would suffice for their daily driving needs,” BMW said.

Another key take-away from the study was that Australians are clearly expecting EVs to be part of their future, with only eight per cent of respondents expecting to still own a traditional combustion-engined car in 2040.

That compares to 50 per cent who still expect to be driving an ICE car in 2025.

The data for the survey was gathered during the string of federal government policy announcements surrounding the support and promotion of EV uptake in Australia, with the results similarly matching national sales trends which show a colossal upswing in the popularity of zero-emissions vehicles.

To the end of April this year, sales of new electric vehicles in Australia were up 214.1 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, with 23,926 EVs sold.