The survey, conducted by the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) in partnership with The Tesla Owner’s Club of Australia, surveyed 741 Tesla owners on how they drive, charge, and spend on their vehicles.
While there’s plenty of data highlighting the role EVs will play in reducing emissions globally, there’s less information available about distances travelled, owner demographics, charging behaviour, and long-term total costs.
Given that many non-EV drivers cite distance limitations as a barrier to adoption, this survey is groundbreaking in the sense it proves range anxiety is unfounded, with Tesla owners reporting they drive just as far as owners of petrol and diesel vehicles.
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, the average Australian passenger vehicle travelled 11,100 km annually in the year ending June 2020. Survey participants reported similar numbers, with 89 per cent of EV owners driving more than 10,000 km and 38 per cent exceeding 20,000 km annually.
Another major finding is almost half of all owners who calculate their fuel savings reported savings of over $2000 a year in fuel, and three quarters reported saving over $1000 a year.
This data is in line with the reported main attractions of an EV being technological, environmental, and economical.
Removing perceived barriers to ownership with greater access to accurate information is a significant step forward to transitioning to higher levels of EV ownership.
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