Proof that the future is hybrids
ARE we ready for electric cars? Well, not quite yet. An iReach survey of 690 Irish car drivers, commissioned by Toyota Ireland and released this week, predicts it will take until 2033 before more than half of us are driving fully electric cars.
Our preference in the meantime is either to stick with petrol, or buy self-charging petrol-electric hybrids. When asked what powertrain they would choose in their next car, bought in the next 24 months, 38% said petrol, 26% said self-charging hybrid, 25% diesel (underlining its ongoing and spectacular fall from grace), full electric at 7%, and plug-in hybrid at 4%. While the number planning on buying fully electric vehicles might seem small at 7%, it would represent a massive increase on the 0.47% market share enjoyed by EVs in 2017.
As the years progress, the numbers rise, with 19% seeing themselves in full electric cars within six to ten years, and another 24% within 11 to 15 years.
For now, though, the move definitely seems to be to the halfway house that is hybrid. That must come as good news for Toyota; with luxury sister brand Lexus, it offers the most comprehensive range of hybrids on the Irish market.
Toyota Ireland CEO Steve Tormey says that despite the incentives on offer for electric and self-charging hybrid electric vehicles, adoption has been slow. ‘If we are to progress at a pace towards a zero emissions driving environment, more may need to be done to ensure that customers are considering alternative powertrains and moving away from fossil fuels,’ he argues.
He also thinks the survey might underestimate the speed of change. ‘I believe that full electric mass adoption will come earlier, given advancements in technology, a more widespread roll-out of charging stations and the fact that we will have younger, more environmentally conscious generations joining the motoring ranks year on year,’ he says.
The survey also bears out that view. Of respondents who said they believed hybrid to be the smartest option for the next five to ten years, a whopping 89% among the 18-34 cohort held that view.