Nearly one-in-three motorists will consider going electric when purchasing their next car according to a new survey.

The research, undertaken by AA Ireland, found that one-in-10 motorists (9.39%) are “very likely” to purchase a hybrid or go fully electric when purchasing their next vehicle – while almost 20% are “somewhat likely” to do so.

A shortage in charging facilities, first-day costs and concerns over the effective range of fully electric vehicles were among the concerns expressed by those who were more likely to stick with petrol or diesel powered cars.

More than half of those who said they were sticking with fossil fuel power pointed to the shortage of charging facilities as the primary reason they were unwilling to change.

Meanwhile, 45.28% expressed concern over the range of fully electric cars - while 43.16% felt that hybrid and electric vehicles are currently too expensive.

Significant improvements

John Farrell, commercial director at AA Ireland said there has been significant improvement in electric and hybrid vehicle production in recent times – with significant reductions in charging times, range and affordability.

“In terms of the future of motoring, electric vehicles will move away from being somewhat of a niche vehicle and will become an increasingly common sight on our roads,” he said.

“Electric cars aren’t some passing fad and they will very much be a key part of the future of motoring in Ireland.

“It is time for our government to accept this fact and facilitate the installation of a greater number of electric vehicle charging points across the country if we are to avoid being left behind while the rest of the world embraces the future.”

The survey found that men were almost 5% more likely than women to go electric or hybrid on their next purchase.

31.6% of men said they were either likely or somewhat likely to go electric, while 27.23% of women agreed.

Growing popularity

“In a short space of time we have seen a number of exciting developments when it comes to the future of motoring, including the mileage range of fully electric vehicles increasing from an average of 150km on a single charge to a current range of between 250 and 300 kilometres,” said Mr Farrell.

“In line with this we’ve seen the number of charging points in Ireland increase, although there is still scope for improvement in this area.

He said the emergence of mobile charging solutions has helped to address the charging point shortage.

He said rescue services are investing in the technology needed to deal with electric car breakdowns as the vehicles become ever more popular on Irish roads.