‘Dual fuel’ owners opt for electric over ICE for most journeys

Around a third of electric vehicle drivers run a petrol or diesel vehicle too, according to new research.

What’s more, the research from leading EV charge point mapping service Zap-Map, suggests that electric is chosen for the vast majority of journeys by ‘dual fuel’ drivers.

The type of journey electric is most likely to be favoured for is a local daily trip such as going shopping, the school run or eating out, for which 85% of the time dual fuel drivers will take the EV.

For commutes, 71% these drivers use their EV, and even for journeys of over 100 miles 67% will stick with electric.

Even for UK based holidays, likely to involve long cross-country journeys reliant on the public charging network, a majority of 55% will leave the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car at home.

The annual Zap-Map EV Charging Survey showed that most EV owners only own electric, with 49% driving just one fully electric vehicle, 8% two or more, while 2% own or regularly use one battery electric and one plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

In addition, 25% drive one battery-electric car and one ICE vehicle, while the remainder drive a mixture of battery electric, plug-in hybrid and/or ICE vehicles.

Satisfaction levels for electric vehicles remain higher than for petrol and diesel. Less than 2% of EV drivers want to return to petrol or diesel compared to 9 out of 10 who would not consider trading for a conventional car.

The report shows 89% satisfaction for battery-electric vehicles and 83% for plug-in hybrid electric — both higher than 71% for petrol and diesel.

‘Our survey has shown for several years now that once you go electric, you don’t go back,” said Melanie Shufflebotham, COO & Co-Founder of Zap-Map.

“This year we’ve gone further to show that drivers who haven’t quite let their conventional car go yet still choose to drive their electric. Even for those long cross-country journeys where a charge stop is likely to be necessary.”