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New report shows electric vehicle purchase willingness among Indian consumers

Teddy Cambosa - March 22, 2021

New Delhi, India – An increasing number of Indian consumers are showing willingness and interest to purchase electric vehicles, new report from auto-tech firm CarDekho and marketing company Omnicom Media Group (OMG) shows. 

According to the survey, 66% of customers are willing to buy electric vehicles, out of which 53% said they were strongly inclined to go electric. Among those surveyed, 13% are not yet ready for the transformation whereas 19% decline to go either way.

In addition, 68% of the customers showed their concern towards the environment and believe switching to EVs will help reduce air pollution, whereas 11% and 6% of respondents considered driving pleasure and lower maintenance cost respectively as the main reason for considering a shift to EVs. 

“The core objective of this survey was to gauge the consumer psyche and understand what sort of information or services from automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) could help in the buying decision. Respondents suggested manufacturers offer a full list of service stations in any city, accessories for easy and fast home-charging, and an extended service warranty assurance for the car,” the companies said in a press statement.

The survey also showed that despite the optimism shown among respondents, certain percentages of consumers are also raising doubts about EV usage. In the survey, 43% of respondents stated that frequent recharging will be a big concern, with 20% raising concerns on the reliability of EVs during long drives or inter-city travel, and 16% considering inadequate infrastructure (charging stations) a bigger hurdle. Meanwhile, nearly 12% of those surveyed said that pricing was an important consideration.

CarDekho and OMG conducted the survey across India among potential 4W vehicle buyers. Almost 40% of the respondents owned an SUV with 29% owning a hatchback, followed by 25% with sedans.