Recharging the debate: Are EVs just for rich men?

Europe and nations around the world have put ambitious targets in place to curb emissions from road transport.

Moving from internal combustion to electric vehicles (EVs) is one of the steps being taken to reduce the carbon footprint.  

But there is an urgent need to push forward with the transition - and the proven dearth of women as EV consumers is a key issue.  

“We only have 10 years until 2035 when we want to reach zero emissions for vehicles,” said Maria Linkova-Nijs, the Executive Head of Policy and Strategy at the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA).  

“If we are almost at 2025 and we are still struggling to even grow the market to 15 per cent, how are we going to reach the target?” 

Watch our live debate again in the video below to hear about the key changes industry experts and politicians want to see in the EV industry, the market and policy to increase appeal to women and the population as a whole:

Studies have shown that the EV market is stagnating in many parts of Europe and one key issue is the consumer demographic.  

According to the latest findings from the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO), the typical battery electric vehicle (BEV) driver is predominantly male, highlighting a significant gender gap in ownership.  

This is backed up by a 2023 poll conducted by EV charging app Bonnet of more than 2,000 EV drivers which found that only 1 in 10 are women. 

One major reason for the lack of women EV drivers is the design of the vehicles, according to our panellists.  

Slovenian MEP Zala Tomašič noted that women more than men will use cars to take their children to school and extracurricular activities as well as to drive to work.  

 The smaller range of EVs makes them impractical for this