BOULDER, Colo. — With more electric vehicle (EV) market introductions and widespread availability of charging station networks, 2011 will be a test for EV viability, according to Pike Research.
The market research and consulting firm said many consumers will form their early impressions of the EV driving experience this year. The white paper—“Electric Vehicles: 10 Predictions for 2011”—includes the Boulder-based company's take on the EV market in 2011.
The white paper is available for free download on Pike Research's website.
“The automotive industry is bedeviled by fundamental questions of how consumers will accept and use electric vehicles,” said John Gartner, senior analyst. “There is still a great deal of uncertainty about the issues of price sensitivity, range anxiety and the importance of charging station networks, the length of time required to charge EVs, and other important matters.
“These questions can only be answered through real-world experience that is gained from commercial launches. 2011 is the year in which many of these answers will come into greater focus.”
Some of Pike Research's industry predictions for the EV market include:
- “Range anxiety”—a motorist's fear over how far a vehicle can go on a charge—will prove to be more fiction than fact.
- Auto makers will get pushback from EV owners regarding the length of time it takes to fully charge a vehicle.
- Many EV charging stations will spend the majority of their time idle.
- The landscape for charging equipment will undergo a seismic shift as the category swiftly moves toward becoming a commodity market.
- The majority of people who drive a plug-in vehicle won't own it.
- Fuel cell vehicles will be sold to fleets and consumers in small but growing numbers.