Sustainability case study
TSB provided funding for a series of ultra-low carbon vehicle trials from late 2009, continuing until mid-2012. Preliminary data collected from drivers of the 340 vehicles in the nationwide programme is below.
The trial covers 19,782 charging events and 110,389 individual journeys covering 677,209 miles.
- 95% of private drivers found that electric vehicles were no more difficult to use than the car they usually drove.
- Users made little or no change to their daily driving habits after switching from conventional to low carbon vehicles.
- After three months, about a quarter of users expected an EV to perform better than their normal car, up from around 15% before the trial.
- Range anxiety fell by 35% from 100% of private drivers being more concerned about reaching their destination with an EV than they would with their normal car. This is in part due to the increased understanding of vehicle capabilities, driving techniques and journey planning.
- Users also gained more confidence over the three months, with an 8% increase in users allowing their batteries to drop below 50% before plugging in.
For more information, see the Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform section on the TSB website.
