Two in three European EV drivers say there’s a need for more charging ports at their workplace

Amsterdam, January 26, 2021—According to 43 percent of European citizens, electric vehicles play a crucial part in combating the climate crisis. With one out of three citizens considering switching to an EV in the near future, the pressure on companies and employers to provide electric company cars and sufficient charging infrastructure is increasing exponentially.

Currently, EV charging takes mainly place at home (72 percent) and at work (40 percent). Nevertheless, EV drivers report that there are only enough places to charge at work 29 percent of the time, and 20 percent don’t have access to workplace charging at all. 20 percent of EV drivers would also like to see more fast chargers at their workplace in the future.

These are some of the initial findings from the EVBox Mobility Monitor—EVBox’s annual market research report on electric vehicle adoption and barriers conducted alongside Ipsos. The research is supported by responses from 3,600 European citizens across six countries: the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, and the UK.

The report shows that just one in five of employed respondents in Europe work at a company that offers electric vehicles as a lease car option. The UK has the largest share of companies that offer electric vehicles in their business plan (27 percent)—while France (16 percent) and Belgium (18 percent) are at the bottom of the list. When looking at European citizens that are keen to adopt electric driving, it’s clear that they’re looking for employers to offer EVs as company cars (47 percent). This is particularly noticeable in Belgium (55 percent), the Netherlands, and the UK (52 percent).

European citizens are expecting governments to focus on policies that have our planet’s interests at heart—but there are now increasing expectations for companies to adopt the same mindset. Consumer expectations for companies are higher than ever and expect them to take steps to address environmental issues, with the adoption of electric mobility playing a key role.

Roughly two out of five European citizens are working for a company that already has a sustainable vision in place. The Netherlands is leading the way (42 percent), followed by Norway (41 percent), and the UK (39 percent).  

Based on citizens’ opinions that governments should only provide financial aid during the corona crisis to companies that take demonstrable measures to significantly reduce their impact on the environment (40 percent), it is advisable that companies start to think as environmentally as their employees and customers. 

New national policies will encourage the electrification of company cars and fleets, and incentives for corporate cars are expected to play a crucial role in this transition. Governments across Europe are starting to ban new petrol and diesel cars. This will be the case in the UK from 2030—Belgium is also planning a ban on new ICE company cars from 2026 and France will ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040.

At the moment, a voucher-based scheme covers up to 75 percent of purchase and installation costs of 40 charging stations is available to companies in the UK. In the Netherlands, EV owners pay a reduced fee for the tax (8 percent in 2020) instead of the standard fee of 22 percent for their corporate car.

In many European countries, companies and public entities can apply for grants covering certain percentages of costs associated with installing charging stations. In Germany, for example, Berlin-based companies are able to apply for funding covering up to €2500 per AC charging station and up to €30,000 per DC fast charging station.

Are you interested to read the country specific press releases of the EVBox Mobility Monitor? Click on the links for France, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Belgium, and the UK.

This market research was executed by Ipsos at the request of EVBox. The survey was undertaken in six European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the UK) and 3,600 citizens—including 600 EV drivers. EV drivers constitute hybrid, PHEV, and BEV drivers.

*Potential EV drivers are respondents who indicated they would either definitely or most likely invest in an EV when considering the purchase of their next car.

For more information regarding specific numbers, feel free to reach out to Madeline Vidak (PR & Communications at EVBox).

Want to learn more about the future of sustainable mobility? Download the full report of the EVBox Mobility Monitor here.