Consumer concerns 'continue to halt progress of eco cars'

Date: 4/11/2010

Consumer fears over price and infrastructure continue to be stumbling blocks in the development of electric vehicles.

This is according to writer Faye Sunderland, who stated in an article for TheGreenCarWebsite the obvious hindrance to eco cars is that the overall outlay is still unclear to the public.

Although people know the vehicles will save them money on fuelling costs, they cannot be sure whether this will compensate for the retail price gap, she continued.

"There are still fears that electric cars are slow and clunky and that they have extremely limited range capabilities," Ms Sunderland explained.

She said despite recent advancements, range anxiety remains a significant worry for consumers, particularly without a sufficient infrastructure of charging points in place.

Ms Sunderland's comments follow the publication of a booklet from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders that intends to help motorists make informed decisions when purchasing an electric car by answering common queries on topics such as cost, safety and charging.

Posted by Nick Anderson