Study: Finns believe electric cars will mitigate climate change
Fortum Corporation
Press release
17.10.2008, 9.30 EET
Study: Finns believe electric cars will mitigate climate change
According to a new study, the majority of Finns (75%) believe that using
electric cars can help reduce emissions and energy consumption and curb climate
change.
According to the survey, people living in cities and particularly in the
Helsinki metropolitan area are most confident about the impact of electric cars.
The majority of the Finns surveyed, over 60%, thought the most important benefit
of electric cars is the emissions-free aspect. Approximately every fourth
respondent mentioned that electric cars are economical to use. Respondents
believe that electric cars are at their best particularly in city use.
Respondents believe that short distances, no emissions, and quietness are the
attributes associated with electric cars in the cities of the future.
Electric cars are of interest to Finns in general, and the overwhelming majority
of the respondents want more information about the opportunities afforded by
electric cars. The information most wanted concerns electric car prices and the
price development of them.
Car prices and taxation of concern
Even though electric cars are seen to have clear advantages compared to cars
powered by conventional combustion engines, an electric car purchase is not yet
being considered by many people. According to the study, during the past year
12% of Finns had thought about purchasing an electric car. Most people thinking
of acquiring an electric car were in the 25-34 age group, and Espoo residents,
of which 16% had thought about getting an electric car.
The aspects respondents mentioned that would prevent them from purchasing an
electric car included price compared to conventional cars and the travel
distance on a single charge. The respondents are also concerned about the
taxation of electric cars.
Fortum promotes motoring with electric cars
In the study, the new-generation electric car referred to a plug-in hybrid and a
battery electric vehicle that are recharged directly from the grid. The car is
plugged into a power outlet at a recharging station in the same way as an engine
heater in winter.
Fortum wants to participate in minimising emissions and to enable the wide-scale
adoption of plug-in electric cars when car manufacturers introduce them to the
markets within a few years. Fortum has an electric car experiment under way in
Stockholm and is launching similar projects also in Finland.
”Promoting electric cars supports Fortum's efforts to build a low-carbon
society. The potential for electric cars is significant in Finland and should be
part of the dialogue about achieving climate and energy targets,” says Carola
Teir-Lehtinen, Corporate Vice President, Sustainability.
The study surveying Finnish attitudes about electric cars was carried out via
the internet during September-October 2008; there were 1,266 respondents, which
is a representative sample of Finns. The survey was commissioned by Fortum and
conducted by Reputation Management Consultancy Pohjoisranta. The data was
collected by TNS Gallup Oy.
Fortum Corporation
Corporate Communications
Additional information:
Researcher Anne Hyvärilä, tel. +358 50 344 2444, anne.hyvarila@pohjoisranta.fi
