Range anxiety is still real. Despite all of the advances in charging infrastructure, the ease of home charging, and the speed at which modern EVs fill up on juice, people still want long-distance range. However, according to BMW’s research, when they get that range, they’re happy to make the electric switch.
To find out more about customers’ EV demands, BMW hired Dutch research firm Kien Onderzoek to study 655 fleet drivers. According to the firm’s research, 60 percent of Dutch company car drivers are willing to lease an EV, as long as it has at least 250 miles (400 km)of range. While that number isn’t hard to find in many American EVs, it does rule out a ton of tiny electric hatchbacks and sedans available in Europe.
Only around 40 percent of the drivers polled currently drove electric company cars, but not always by choice. A third of them are required to lease a corporate EV. However, for the remaining drivers that aren’t required to go electric or simply choose not to, their main daily driver requirements have nothing to do with powertrain.
The main factors for customers choosing their next company car are cost, comfort, practicality, and range. People want to comfortably use their car on their daily commute, but also have enough range to run errands, pick up kids from school, or take a vacation. And most of the group was concerned not only with an EVs range, but also charging speed. Many drivers preferred plug-in hybrids, for their powertrain flexibility.
It’s unsurprising that most drivers would be concerned about any total range under 250 miles. Even at that minimum range, an EV effectively puts a 125-mile leash on its drivers, without a suitable charging station along the way. That can cause a bit of anxiety when factoring in a commute and the rest of daily life. Sure, switching to an EV has plenty of benefits; smoothness, quietness, and the lack of emissions. That last part doesn’t matter as much, though, as when it comes to environmental concerns, almost none of the interviewed customers cared about saving the polar bears. Customers just want a car that fits their needs, regardless of powertrain.
This doesn’t seem to concern BMW. The Bavarians have a vast portfolio of cars to fit all needs. And BMW wisely didn’t dump all of its eggs into an electric basket, so there are plenty of gas, diesel, and hybrid models for customers to choose from. Thankfully for the 60% that want an EV with at least 250 miles of max range, BMW has plenty of those to choose from, too.
