Doha: As a diverse range of electric vehicles (EVs) are set to make their way onto the roads of the GCC by the end of 2020, there is still plenty of ground to cover when it comes to educating the market about EVs as they continue to be a relatively new concept for car buyers in the region, a survey conducted by the Middle East’s largest automotive platform YallaMotor has found.
The online survey, which was conducted to 3,190 respondents ranging from current car owners to in-market car buyers from January 21-February 14, was held in partnership with generation.e and the Automotive Association Middle East and North Africa (AMENA) to understand car buyers’ perceptions towards electric vehicles in the GCC.
Only 5.11 percent of the respondents claimed to have owned or currently own a full EV in the GCC, while 11.16 percent of respondents claimed to have owned a hybrid vehicle. The untapped majority of 83.73 percent are respondents who have never owned a hybrid or full electric vehicle, signifying the magnitude of potential present in the market.
Due to greater awareness and choice being present in the market, as well as initiatives from governments such as free charging and parking, the survey found a slight increase in full electric ownership from 4.84 percent in 2019 to 5.11 percent among the respondents in 2020.
Meanwhile, hybrid ownership fell from 11.58 percent in 2019 to 11.16 percent among the respondents in 2020.
Only 24.92 percent of respondents claimed to have driven an EV in the past, be it a hybrid or full electric vehicle.
The survey added that while 45.13 percent of males were likely to purchase an EV in the next two years, just 34.06 percent of females pictured themselves driving an EV in the same time period.
It added that more advertising, promotion, and test drive opportunities from dealers across the region could play a vital role in pushing these numbers higher in the coming years.
Respondents across the GCC were also quick to rank ‘Better Fuel Economy’ (52.63%) and ‘Reduced Carbon Emissions’ (51.79%) in first and second place respectively as advantages of EVs.
At a macro level, the top three perceived disadvantages of electric vehicles are ‘Long Charging Times’ (47.21%) in first place, followed by ‘High Initial Cost of Purchase’ (37.27%) in second place, and ‘Inconvenient Charging Options’ (36.65%) coming in at a close third.
The survey also found that 25.71 percent of respondents from Qatar claimed they did not know enough about EV’s, while a whopping 42 percent of the respondents across GCC claimed that they were unaware if electric vehicles were worth the investment.
Despite the Middle East being a haven for cheaply and readily available gasoline, private and public sectors across the region are powering a more sustainable future and encouraging individuals to follow suit, by reducing their dependence on Internal Combustion Engine (I.C.E.) vehicles.
Locally, the Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa), represented by the National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed), has launched the ‘Green Car Initiative’ in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Industry and the Ministry of Transport and Communications, to increase the number of electric cars in Qatar.
The sustainable development initiative, which comes within the Qatar National Vision 2030, aims to raise the share of electric cars to 10 percent of the total car sales in Qatar by 2022. Kahramaa also targets to install over 400 electric car charging stations at car parking areas of government buildings, major shopping complexes, malls, roadsides, stadiums, and public parking areas.
While several car dealers have already introduced hybrid and full EV models in the Qatari market, a number of dealers are also planning to introduce new electric vehicle models in the country.
“There is a general direction that EVs will be very much popular. By 2050, there will be no more internal combustion engines in Germany and other European countries. All auto manufacturers are investing heavily on EVs. In Qatar, we’re planning to introduce the Jaguar I-Pace into the local market soon. The Jaguar I-Pace is a phenomenal all electric vehicle which won the ‘2019 World Car of the Year’, ‘2019 World Car Design of the Year’, and ‘2019 World Green Car’ awards. Qatar is a developed country. I believe electric vehicles will find their way here,” Samer Bou Dargham, General Manager of Alfardan Premier Motors, the official retailer of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in Qatar, said in an interview with The Peninsula recently.
SOURCE: THEPENINSULAQATAR