Commercial vehicle owners are not keen on switching to EVs: Survey

CHENNAI: A consumer perception survey on electric vehicles reveals that more than 70 per cent of commercial vehicle owners, including cabs, three-wheeler cargos and LMVs were not willing to shift to electric vehicles while the existing users of the personal EVs are highly satisfied.

The survey done by Climate Trends and Clean Mobility Shift showed that the commercial vehicle owners concerns ranged from insufficient range, limited charging infrastructure, low loading capacity and high initial investments. "Three-quarters of all the cab owners and three-wheeler cargo fleet owners, and eight out of ten four-wheeler cargo fleet owners were wary of switching to EVs. However, close to 60 per cent of the last-mile delivery fleets showed a willingness to switch," it said.

The survey covered 1,366 respondents in total across commercial fleet owners of cabs, three and four-wheeler cargo, and last-mile delivery two and four-wheeler vehicles, as well as private vehicle users in Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore.

The findings reveal that overall, electric vehicles have high appeal among both types of users, indicating strong awareness about their cost and environmental benefits. Among private users, while 44 per cent were willing to buy an electric two-wheeler, only 4 per cent were looking to buy electric four-wheelers.

Among the 153 private users who already own an EV, 80 per cent strongly believe EVs are value for money, and 76 per cent would definitely recommend buying an EV to their peers.

Releasing the survey findings here, the Industries Department's additional chief secretary S Krishnan said that the findings show that the government have a lot more to do on raising awareness about the policy among users. "Carbon neutrality was the key element of the new policy, in which we have focused on demand side incentives for shared mobility vehicles, which will give higher social outcomes, and also incentivising the growth of charging infrastructure," he said.

Aarti Khosla, director of Climate Trends said that the revised state EV policy, released recently, addresses the concerns raised in the survey through a greater focus on fleet electrification, demand-side incentives for commercial segments and increased charging. "Now, efforts should be made to socialise this policy, ensure effective implementation and simplify processes for consumers and industry players alike to avail policy benefits."