Younger motorists are more likely to buy environmentally-friendly cars such as electric, hybrid or bio-fuel models, and a huge 81% of under 25s stated that they would contemplate driving an electric car. This may be due to the associated lower costs of electric motoring - freedom from high petrol prices, lower road taxes and congestion charges, and access to cheaper parking.
On the other hand, older motorists were in general more stubborn than their younger contemporaries, with only 66% of over 55s considering making such a change to their regular car buying decision-making.
According to the poll, 65% of motorists have also changed their attitude towards driving because of the credit crunch and a general tightening of the nation’s purse strings. Nearly one in five (17%) are thinking about changing their car to one that’s smaller and more fuel-efficient, and a further 14% of those surveyed said they would consider making a change if the current level of inflation persisted and fuel prices continued to rise.
Pictured above is the Nice MyCar, one of a handful of new electric vehicles displayed at last week’s London Motor Show.
Nice MyCar electric minicar
Nice electric sports car
Nice Mega City
Reader Comments
Sun Aug 3 2008 4:32 AM
NoNameDenton says
Odd, I do not care if my car is enviromentally friendly or not as I do not believe in man made global; warming, but to each his own I suppose.
Sun Aug 3 2008 7:17 AM
HECTOR says
Polls are always to be taken with a grain of salt the size of Australia.
Brits wouldn't buy EVs to *combat green issues*. They would buy them for cheaper running costs, lower taxes and congestion charges and cheaper parking. All of these advantages say ABSOLUTELY nothing about the Brits' desire to drive around in small EVs and A LOT to say about a government that is squeezing the life out of motorists with high charges.
When you pile these things on top of each other you arrive at that 71% (not that I believe it either) but then the poll is designed to arrive at a previously staked position. It's a bad poll if there was ever a good one.
Ask your average motorhead whether they would prefer an M3 or a Tesla... and watch the results.
Sun Aug 3 2008 11:16 AM
Gus says
True, polls can be skewed dramatically by the way the question is asked, who is asking it (a hot blonde asking young men, for example), the wording of the question and the location chosen.
As for the M3 or Tesla question, I would love a Tesla, but only as a weekend toy for now...
Sun Aug 3 2008 12:38 PM
Glen says
For all the people with their heads firmly in denial, global warming is & will continue to get worse as long as we keep putting out more & more CO2 than plant life can absorb & convert to oxygen. Just where do you think oxygen is coming from? At the rate we are cutting down forests worldwide & increasing air pollutants something has to give before it becomes a planet wide pandemic or more wars break out for shortages of food, water or oil. The best you can do is have fewer kids, drive an electric vehicle, stop supporting countries that don't give a damn about polluting the planet & stop supporting developing countries who will also put a huge strain on our already fragile balance. It may already be too late if we don't act now your kids & grand kids will be paying the price with their health or their lives.
Sun Aug 3 2008 4:20 PM
NoNameDenton says
Glen, no proven scientific data shows global warming to be happening. Read the Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming, it is an eye opener.
Sun Aug 3 2008 5:50 PM
chris says
Glen, the truth is we just don't know what is happening with "global warming"... I hat the term because it is used by people who want to force you to believe that HUMAN CONTROLLED CLIMATE CHANGE is already proven.
let's just say that climate change is real, and we are effecting it. clearly. we're changing the chemistry of the atmosphere, either intensionally or not. the question that no one can answer is just how much are we effecting it? was the planet already in a warming period for the last 300 years and we've only progressed it by a year or two? if you read the reports regardinging atmospheric chemsitry, we can accurately measure how much CO2 there was in our atmosphere over millions of years. we're no where near the highest concentrations that ever existed, so this idea of us killing the planet is entirely fictional. in the last 300 years, the earths atmopsheric CO2 content has gone from about 250 PPM (Parts per million) to about 320. we've put 70 parts per MILLION of CO2 into the air... over the last 300 years. I can tell you from work experience that building codes in the western world state that buildings must regulate below 800 PPM of CO2. as far as this idea of us choking ourselves, i think we've got a long way to go. so the question is... do you really believe that 70PPM increase is going to cause all the crap we've seen? i doubt it. there's a very natural element to this. we don't know what it is.. but it's out there.
as for EV's, we just saw the article about the 5 speed manual EV the other day. how cool would that be if you could go buy a compact car and instead of a petrol engine, it's got an electric motor? it's still got 2wd, 5 speed manual, and everything.... i think of the amount that i engine brake (all the time... I'm always giving the engine a shot of gas to get those revs high so I can dump my focus into 2nd gear to get off the highway...) and I can't help but think "if this were an EV... instead of just shaving down my piston sleeves and mashing my oil into finer particles... i would be recharging my engine right now...." the last time i checked,, you ICE doesn't produce gasoline for later use when you engine brake.
Mon Aug 4 2008 5:50 AM
HECTOR says
I didn't know Al *An Inconvenient Windbag* Gore was trolling this site.
Here's looking at you Glen...
Mon Aug 4 2008 6:14 AM
Randy says
Go ahead, keep you heads in the sand NoNameDenton and Hector - albeit hotter and hotter sand.
Drive an EV for the savings alone if you just need a reason.
Mon Aug 4 2008 11:04 AM
Dandan says
Should ask if it's because they care about the environment or their wallet
Mon Aug 4 2008 12:41 PM
Glen says
While I agree that changes to the atmosphere have been happening long before our human influence there is no denying that for the last 100 years or so the mechanized, urbanized, oil based economy we now have has put more pollutants into the air, soil & water than any period in history. Add to this the destruction of wetlands, forests & huge expanses of what used to be local food sources & a growing human population. The price of oil has primarily been driven up by increased demand & competition from China & India & there is no reason to believe that the same thing won't happen with other resources. It already happened with copper & other building materials. Those that question whether or not we are the cause of Global Warming should live in the Arctic, Antarctic & Micronesia to see first hand the changes taking place. Driving an electric car is a small step to reduce the damage being done & maybe reduce the demand for oil which may lower or at least stabilize prices worldwide.
Tue Dec 30 2008 3:44 AM
hwaarl says
Guys n gals,
Even without the global warming: zero emission means zero cancerogenic finedust, no smog and no stinking traffic in your town center. Who can be against that?
Secondly, electric driving is a sensation in itself. Not just way cheaper but also smooth, quiet and comfortable (some say lame maybe ;-). The breakthru will come when battery technology manages to put sufficient kWh per kilo in a car.
Latest by then, you all guys will also find this discussion irrational. But blame it on whatever in the meantime, let's just make sure we don't stop innovation with non-constructive discussions like these.
Grtnx,
Hans
Btw: I also agree no-one should believe statistics he didn't manipulate himself. 71% is pushing reality.
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