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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has started groping for a way to spread the use of electric cars and encourage its citizens to gradually abandon cars that run on gasoline and diesel, in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which focuses on the use of renewable energy and artificial intelligence represented in autonomous driving.
Accordingly, Motory team has conducted another local survey about electric cars, with more than 700 respondents participating. This time, the survey revealed a high demand for electric cars in the Kingdom, as a number of participants expressed their desire to own an electric car due to several reasons, where the most important are:
Electric vehicles don’t need maintenance continuously as the fuel vehicles
The survey showed that about 45% of opinions want to own an electric vehicle because the cost of maintaining it is considered lower compared to the cost of maintaining an internal combustion vehicle. The electric vehicle engine has fewer moving parts, therefore it does not require continuous maintenance. Electric vehicles also don’t need to change engine oil, nor do valves suffer from blockage as the engine is not powered by internal combustion.
The financial cost of an electric vehicle
Among those looking to buy an electric vehicle, 56% indicated that their interest in EVs is due to the desire to save fuel costs. Electric vehicles gain their full power by charging them with electricity rather than using any type of fuel.
EVs Protect the Environment and Preserve Its future
About 45% of those surveyed expressed their desire to replace fuel vehicles with electric ones in order to preserve the environment. EVs play an important role in preserving the environment from pollution, due to the low percentage of their harmful emissions to the environment such as carbon monoxide, which makes them a better option compared to other vehicles.
The survey also revealed that 39% of opinions would like to use electric vehicles in line with the Kingdom's vision of electric transformation, while 37% said they would like to keep pace with the development in the world.
Which Category of EV will be the most in-demand in Saudi Arabia?
According to the survey respondents, the electric sedan category will be the most in-demand at 50%, followed by the SUV at 43%.
The survey also showed that more than 65% of its participants will choose Japanese vehicles; such as Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Honda, and others. Whereas more than 30% of them expressed their desire to buy American, German, or Korean electric vehicles. On the other hand, only 15% of the respondents expressed their desire to buy Chinese electric vehicles.
Is there anything that affects the range of an electric vehicle battery?
According to the results, 55% of the respondents do not know what conditions affect the electric battery's range (the average distance an EV travel on one charge). There are many factors that affect the battery life, which all users of electric vehicles must be aware of:
- Fast charging increases the temperature of the internal components significantly
- The temperature of the weather has a notable impact on the capacity of the electric vehicle battery, for example; the low temperature negatively affects the driving range due to the need to turn on the heating system.
- Mileage: There is no doubt that the total mileage of the vehicle also affects the battery capacity
Charging Electric Vehicles: Stations or Home?
The respondents were also asked if they prefer charging their EVs at stations or at home, as 70% of them say they prefer charging electric vehicles at home rather than going to charging stations.
EVs are considered a viable option, but are they practical?
About 65% of respondents agreed that electric vehicles are practical, but despite that; 73% of them said that they would keep a fuel vehicle if they purchased an electric one. This high percentage of those who want to keep a fuel vehicle when buying an EV, reminds us of the result we obtained in the previous survey which indicated 79% of respondents are not ready yet for electric vehicles.
What issues do ICE vehicle owners hope EVs won't have?
At the end of the survey, we asked the participants about the issues in which they had difficulty with fuel cars, and they hoped to completely disappear from electric cars. Most of the which included the following:
- Periodic maintenance; Including changing oil, filters, and coils
- Frequent mechanical failures
- High petrol cost
- Risk of ignition from the gasoline
- High prices of spare parts
Thus, we have highlighted a variety of Saudis’ opinions about electric vehicles and the reasons that will motivate them to use EVs instead of fuel-powered cars. We advise you to follow more automotive news on Motory.com, where comprehensive coverage of the latest car news in all its fields, whether from offers or new releases.
