YallaMotor in partnership with Generation.e, has announced that it will be running the second Electric Vehicle Buyers Survey in the lead up to the Smarter Mobility World forum set to take place in Dubai in March. The survey, which last year canvased the views of over 3,800 people in the GCC, is the largest survey ever to be conducted in the region to better understand the appetite for electric vehicles in the Middle East.
The announcement was made at the flagship DXB Green Leadership Series, hosted by Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (DCCE) and Dubai Science Park on Tuesday (21st January), during a keynote speech by Ben Pullen, Co-Founder & CEO at Generation.e, who discussed the growing appetite for electric vehicle adoption.
Last year’s survey, ran by the region’s largest automotive portal, YallaMotor in collaboration with Generation.e, shed considerable light on the pain points that potential buyers face when purchasing an electric vehicle.
Highlights of the research revealed that whilst only eight per cent of people had ever driven a pure electric vehicle in the region, consumers were quick to identify some of the advantages of better fuel economy and reduced carbon emissions at 51 per cent and 49 per cent respectively.
Nevertheless, despite the excitement around electric vehicles, consumers are concerned about the long charging times (45 per cent), the high initial cost of purchase (37 per cent) and the inconvenient charging options (34 per cent). On balance, however, the 2019 survey revealed that 44 per cent of those in the GCC are likely or very likely to purchase an electric vehicle in the next two years. More interestingly, a considerable 61 per cent will also opt to have it as their primary vehicle.
This year’s survey has been launched to identify whether perceptions have shifted further in light of global and regional efforts to accelerate the transition to electric and smarter mobility. The results of the latest study will be announced at Smarter Mobility World.
Ben Pullen, Co-Founder & CEO at Generation.e, said: “As we see more and more of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers launch their own electric vehicle models, we are entering an era where we can choose to travel more sustainably — in a way that we have never done before. With last year’s survey being the biggest of its kind ever to be delivered in the region, it has shown a clear appetite for electric vehicles.
The opportunity for this market is sizable, and we are committed to working with thought leaders from businesses and governments around the world to accelerate towards a future of electric and smarter mobility.”
Jorge Bialade, General Manager at YallaMotor, added: “As the largest automotive platform in the region, we firmly believe that we have the responsibility to share this information with all stakeholders in order to build and open more discussions that effectively will accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in the region.
This will help the automotive industry to overcome challenges towards building a more sustainable future with more electric vehicles on the roads of the GCC. We are looking forward to seeing what the next survey results bring as we canvas the appetite for electric vehicle adoption in the region.”
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