New study finds car dealers are a major barrier in the switch to electric vehicles

The University of Sussex has been involved in a new study with Aarhus University, Denmark, which has found that car dealerships are preventing people from switching to electric vehicles (EVs) in the Nordic region and possibly beyond.

The study, published in Nature Energy, shows that EV sales are being compromised at the point of sale compared to petrol and diesel vehicles across Northern Europe.

Professor Benjamin Sovacool, Director of the Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand (CIED) at the University of Sussex, and colleagues said: “Switching to EVs won’t happen without the right incentives and market conditions. The likelihood of people buying an EV is strongly influenced by what happens at the point of sale where EVs are currently at a disadvantage. Nordic countries need more progressive action in this area if they want to achieve their ambitious targets. And if dealerships are a barrier there, they are likely an even greater obstacle in other countries with less ambitious energy, transport and climate targets”.