The biggest fear of EV drivers appears not to be the range

Range anxiety? Just plan well

Various studies show that the biggest reason for not choosing an EV is the fear that people will not reach their destination. And even if you are not afraid of this (in the Netherlands we have quite a few charging stations), it can still be annoying. If you had a petrol car that you had to fill up every time you drove about 300 kilometers, you would eventually get a bit tired of it.

But among people who actually own an EV, range isn't the main concern at all. They charge at home, or at public charging stations near their home, and almost always stay within the 'to and fro' range of their battery. And owners of petrol cars usually drive the same number of kilometers.

Range anxiety? Then, if you have a longer trip in mind, plan an interim charging stop. That is not hard. So when Zap-Map, a company that makes apps to find charging stations, surveyed EV drivers, the biggest fear in general turned out not to be the number of charging options or their spacing.

What is the biggest fear of EV drivers?

By far the biggest concern was reliability. When you plug in, you want to be sure that charging actually takes place (and preferably at the specified speed). In other words: what you cannot plan for is what worries you most. In our experience it is not nearly as bad as it was. In 2018 and 2019, when we started driving EVs a lot, it was a huge gamble. And if a pole didn't work, the next option was often far away.

Nowadays you are much less likely to encounter a dead or extremely slow charging station. And if you do encounter one, there is usually an alternative available. But of course it still happens. And then one bad experience is soon enough to keep you in jail for years.

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