EV charging and smart energy technology business Indra has released findings from a national survey into the latest attitudes and opinions of UK drivers towards electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging and electrification.  

Key findings from the Indra-dex survey of over 2,000 UK drivers reveal that perceived running and purchase costs are putting the brakes on greater EV adoption, meaning that thousands of drivers could be missing out on cost-savings and environmental benefits.

Around 30% of the survey respondents said they were likely to buy an electric car in the next 12 months, price was cited as the biggest barrier. Less than a third had concerns about the lack of public charging points. 

Over 59% of those surveyed believed that the fuel costs for internal combustion engine vehicles was lower than charging an EV, contrary to real-world findings where EV running costs are generally much lower. However, almost half (49%) said bidirectional charging would tempt them to buy an EV.

“It is already significantly cheaper to run an EV compared to a petrol or diesel vehicle, and this will only improve as we move towards widespread adoption of bidirectional or V2X charging,” explained Mike Schooling, founder and Chief Product Officer at Indra.

“Bidirectional charging technology takes savings on transport costs to whole new level, enabling EV drivers to not only capitalise on cheaper energy tariffs and lower-carbon energy, but also discharge surplus energy from their vehicles to either power their homes or even trade it back to the grid at peak energy times, when prices are typically at their highest.” 

Trialists of Indra’s technology have repeatedly achieved savings of around £100-200 on their monthly energy bills, these results led almost half of the survey respondents to say that bidirectional charging would tempt them to buy an EV.

V2X, ‘Vehicle-to-Everything’, is bidirectional charging technology that allows energy to be passed to or from an electric vehicle (EV) battery.

“Bidirectional charging is such an exciting technology. The idea that an electric vehicle could not only be a car but also a portable battery – providing a sustainable source of power to people’s homes – could transform not just the EV market, but also how we think about electricity,” said Harry Wallop, consumer journalist and Times columnist.

“At a time of rising energy costs, increasing global demand on energy resources and climate change, this could be a very clever solution, potentially saving consumers money and allowing us to harness far more green energy than we currently do.

“Bidirectional charging will fundamentally change the way we view and interact with energy and our cars and vans. EVs will effectively become mobile batteries on wheels for harnessing, storing and then using greener, cheaper energy to power our homes or sell back to the grid.

“In the future, we will no longer be tied to a traditional energy infrastructure, but will be able to access, trade and share energy. This means that EVs and bidirectional charging could play a hugely significant role in creating a flexible, sustainable energy eco-system and enabling the government to achieve its net zero ambitions.”