Green transport

The Ipsos Global Trends Survey^[1] has shown that consumer expectations and demands for more sustainable practices are growing: 79% of people say that we are heading for environmental disaster unless we change our habits quickly.

So from most consumers’ perspectives, it is no longer a question of whether governments and organizations should pursue a sustainability agenda, but how they should go about it. The Paris Auto Week in October was used by many automotive manufacturers to showcase their latest innovations.

Electrification: the most accepted road

Governments and manufacturers have generally opted for electrifying engines, completely or partially. In June, European Union lawmakers decided to speed up the process, by imposing a ban on ICE (internal combustion engine) new car sales, that would start in 2035.

The Paris Auto Week in October was used by many automotive manufacturers to showcase their latest innovations

Manufacturers are making unprecedented investments to adapt their ranges to this new regulation, with all the industrial, sourcing, logistical and human capital implications this shift brings. To understand how this transformation is seen by consumers, we conducted two surveys to find out more - one in France, and the other across four European countries.

France: are we ready?

Our first survey^[2] finds just 25% of the French population believe they will be ready for the 2035 ban. We’ve been reflecting on this and think there are three main reasons for this low level of expected readiness for change:

Lack of trust

53% of French consumers regard the EV growth phenomenon as a fad. They do not see it as well-thought through, nor do they feel public and industrial policies have been aligned.

The perceived limits of EVs

People express concerns about the range of batteries and over the charging experience. They also mention the high prices of EVs - and some are not convinced that electrification will help the fight against pollution and climate change.

Infrastructure matters

Only 71% of French citizens think that charging and battery production/recycling infrastructure will be ready by 2035.

So, there are certainly doubts out there about the suitability of the new technology: only 12% of car owners believe an EV fits their mobility needs. But when we look more closely at the types of journeys French drivers typically make, we see that three-quarters of them drive less than 50km each day and make no more than 2 long trips of more than 400km each year.

This means that most EV models would already be a sound choice for them.

What’s also worth noting is that familiarity breeds favourability: 80% of EV owners are proud of their car and more than two-thirds say driving an EV is more enjoyable than driving an ICE vehicle. And non-EV owners who have simply test driven one are even more enthusiastic: 80% tell us it provides a better experience.

Torn between scepticism and desire for the new technology, 42% of French consumers expect to own an EV ten years from now.

What about elsewhere?

Complementing our France-only survey, we conducted a four-country project^[3] in collaboration with Equip Auto.

The first finding was that opinions on electrification differ significantly between countries: while only 39% of French citizens approve of the EU ban on new ICE vehicle sales in 2035, 63% of Italians and 65% of British citizens approve of it. Germans are more evenly divided on the topic with 49% approval.

Yet, many consumers approve of some restrictions being imposed on the usage of ICE vehicles: 62% agree with the creation of Low Emission Zones from which ICE vehicles will gradually be banned. But they also anticipate a gradual shift towards electrification: only 43% expect their next new vehicle purchase will be an EV (25% in France, 38% in Germany, 48% in the UK and 62% in Italy). While citizens in all markets are ready to make efforts to reduce food waste (78%), reduce speed limits on roads (71%) or reduce energy consumption (65%) to fight against climate change, rather fewer - 53% - think they can reduce the number of motorized trips they make in their daily lives.

While only 39% of French citizens approve of the EU ban on new ICE vehicle sales in 2035, 63% of Italians and 65% of British citizens approve of it

But European citizens are certainly ready to explore new options. We described the concept of an “eco-diagnostic”, where their ICE vehicle could be taken to a dealership or aftersales workshop to be adjusted so that its emissions were maintained at their original levels when the vehicle was new. 63% of respondents across the four markets were interested in this idea and 59% said they would be ready to go ahead, provided they received a financial incentive from their government.

A second concept we tested is retrofitting ICE vehicles to transform them into EVs. While the level of awareness of this is still limited, 53% of consumers say they are ready to electrify their old vehicle.

***

The Paris Auto Show named itself “Revolution is on” for its 2022 edition. And the insights we collected reveal the existing tensions between Europeans’ aspirations to behave more sustainably and the challenges involved in actually changing their daily habits. A revolution may indeed be what is required.

Alexandre de Saint-Leon

Table of content

• January - A third year begins
• February - War returns to Europe
• March - Antarctic heatwave
• April - A populist year?
• May - Cost of living crisis
• June - Women's rights
• July - A cruel summer
• August - A new Cold War?
• September - National identities
• October - Green Transport
• November - Peak population
• December - World in motion