The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index from Sophus3
How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles?

January 2020
The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Introduction

   2020 is being touted as a breakthrough year for Electric     Index which we present here for the first time.
   Vehicles (EV) when we will - at last - see them achieve
                                                                The purpose of the index is to provide an objective
   significant sales volume. Although we would welcome
                                                                measure of the readiness of the vehicle market to enable
   such an outcome, we remain skeptical as to whether it
                                                                and encourage the mainstream adoption and ownership
   will materialise within the next twelve months on the
                                                                of EVs. The index looks at three key areas: consumer
   scale some, including car manufacturers’ PR depart-
                                                                interest in EVs, the pricing and availability of these cars,
   ments, would have us believe is possible.
                                                                and the maturity of the necessary infrastructure to allow
   The evidence from the vehicle market itself is that whilst   an expanding EV fleet to function effectively.
   growth rates are encouraging, EV’s overall market share
                                                                Only through a clear-eyed understanding and assess-
   remains negligible and that consumer interest is still
                                                                ment of these drivers of, and barriers to, EV acquisition
   firmly focused on conventionally fuelled SUVs.
                                                                will interested parties be able to move the electric vehi-
   The evidence from our online data is that EV shoppers        cle market forward.
   remain a small, self-selecting group who arrive in the
   market having already decided on an EV purchase. As
   yet, buyers of popular ‘volume’ models seldom consider
   an EV purchase.
                                                                Scott Gairns
   To progress EV adoption requires, we believe, more than      Managing Director, Sophus
   wishful thinking. This is why we have developed the EV       London, January 2020.

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Contents

              1. Executive summary                                             4

              2. The electric vehicle market                                   5

              3. How car buyers are shopping for EVs                         10

              4. The EV Index from Sophus3                                   16

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   1. Executive summary

   The market                                                   The EV buyer                                               Introducing the EV Index
   •   Despite a recent increase in sales, Electric Vehicles    •   Online data shows that under 4% of car buyers          •   The Sophus3 EV Index provides objective measure-
       (EVs) still represent less than 2% of the new car            consider an electric vehicle in the ‘Big 5’ markets        ment of a market’s ability to enable and encourage
       market                                                       (compared with 20% in Norway)                              EV adoption

   •   New CO2 regulations coming into effect in 2020 are       •   Those shopping for EVs review almost exclusively       •   The EV Index measures three elements: consumer
       a major driver for car manufacturers to increase their       just EV models                                             interest in EVs, the availability and price of EVs, the
       EV sales                                                                                                                extent of the charging infrastructure to support EV
                                                                •   Those reviewing popular, conventionally-fuelled cars
                                                                                                                               use
   •   Subsidies and government incentives remain key to            seldom look at EVs as an alternative
       EV adoption: where these are removed or reduced,                                                                    •   The Index is published quarterly to measure progress
                                                                •   EV shoppers are more hesitant in their behaviour and
       demand for EVs is shown to be ‘soft’                                                                                    towards EV adoption
                                                                    require more time and information to consider their
   •   2020 sees a raft of cheaper EV models being intro-           choices                                                •   Traffic light coding of each element highlights where
       duced which are intended as ‘mass market’ models                                                                        significant impediments exist
                                                                •   However, once an EV shopper engages online they
   •   Conventionally fuelled SUVs however continue to              are far more likely to complete an action such as a    •   The performance of an individual brand can be
       dominate and their market share has been increasing          test drive request                                         assessed using the same methodology to benchmark
                                                                                                                               its own progress, either against competitors or the
                                                                                                                               market as a whole

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   2. The electric vehicle market
   A mountain still to climb

   The latest sales figures for electric cars continue to
                                                                EV sales in the European market
   encourage with the pace of their growth, yet remain so-
   bering as they also show the daunting task that remains      Even if recent rapid growth is sustained, electrification will take decades
   ahead for these vehicles to obtain significant market
   share. During the third quarter of 2019, registrations
   of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) grew +126% in the
   European Union, even so, they barely represented 2% of
   all new cars sold1. When we consider that the European
   vehicle fleet (all the cars in operation) numbers more
   than 300 million2 then the speed of adoption needs to
   accelerate, and the overall sales volume of EVs increase
   massively, if countries are to meet their targets for CO2
   emissions reductions and the replacement of conven-
   tionally fuelled cars.

   That need has grown more urgent over the course of
   2019. The extinction rebellion movement arrived to am-
   plify the warnings of scientists that we are on the brink
   of an irreversible climate crisis, that threatens unprece-
   dented disruption and human suffering.

   A growing number of national, regional and local gov-
   ernments have declared a climate emergency3. In this
   context, road transport is recognised as a major source
   of greenhouse gases, but also, more positively, as a sec-
   tor where a changeover to alternative fuelled vehicles

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

                                                 could deliver large cuts in CO2 without affecting much         A supply side problem?
                                                 valued freedoms of mobility.
                                                                                                                For the car industry, reaching those targets and recoup-
                                                 Unusually, environmental activists and car manufac-            ing their considerable investments, is seen primarily as
                                                 turers are pretty much on the same page regarding the          an engineering challenge, or a combination of challeng-
                                                 need to shift to electric vehicles. In the case of the car     es. The industry’s current focus is on battery technology:
                                                 industry however this is the result of imminent legislative    not only the competition to deliver best-in-class vehicle
                                                 restrictions rather than a Damascene conversion to a           range, but also to master battery manufacture so as to
                                                 ‘green’ vision.                                                achieve scale and to reduce costs. The deployment of
                                                                                                                solid-state batteries is the industry’s next holy grail7.
                                                 From January 2020 new Europe-wide CO2 regulations              (Much of the car companies’ current thinking around
                                                 for cars and vans come into force4.                            EV technology is how to create and protect Intellectual
                                                                                                                Property from which they can lever advantage, either by
                                                 These mandate an average CO2 emission of just 95g/
                                                                                                                retaining exclusive access to technical innovations, or, by
                                                 km for the 2021 European vehicle fleet. Over the next
                                                                                                                profitably licensing them to their competitors.)
                                                 decade these limits will get progressively steeper. Car
                                                 makers who miss their targets will face fines that run         But underpinning this fixation with technology is an
                                                 to, potentially, billions of euros.5 Hence the string of an-   assumption that has not been really tested. “If you build
              credit: Henry Nicholls / Reuters
                                                 nouncements by manufacturers over the last 12 months           it, they will come” seems to be the engineers’ motto:
                                                 of their plans to roll out more electric vehicles, and set-    assuming that if they can deliver a well-built electric car
                                                 ting ambitious sales targets for these new models.             then, as night follows day, droves of buyers will quickly
                                                                                                                materialise.
                                                 A recent study showed the automotive industry’s huge
                                                 and sincere commitment in this area, listing investments
                                                 that total more than US$300 billion in EV technology
                                                 and plant6.

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Or a demand side                                              cess with the largest electric fleet per capita in the world.   The evidence from elsewhere is that incentivisation and
                                                                 In October 2019, 36% of the vehicles bought were pure           other governmental intervention in the car market is
   challenge?                                                    battery vehicles .
                                                                                  9
                                                                                                                                 currently a key driver of adoption, and that without it,
   But with pure electric cars at just 2% of the market,                                                                         demand for electric vehicles remains soft.
                                                                 Yet what is most obvious about this level of adoption
   they remain clearly entrenched within the ‘early adopter’
                                                                 is that it is being driven by sticks, rather than being led     In the UK, for example, sales of Plug-in Hybrid Electric
   phase of the classic product acceptance curve. The in-
                                                                 by carrots. Tax differentials mean that a €22K gasoline         Vehicles (PHEVs) fell steeply following the government’s
   dications are that the mass market remains on the other
                                                                 powered Volkswagen Golf ends up costing the Norwe-              decision in October 2018 to, in future, exclude them
   side of a chasm of consumer scepticism8. What is per-
                                                                 gian car buyer €34K. This makes the tax-free e-Golf, the        from the plug-in car grant. Year-to-date sales of PHEVs
   haps most worrying about car brands’ current strategy,
                                                                 electric model, at €33k the more attractive choice10.           in the UK are down -27% as of October 2019, whilst
   laid out in countless upbeat press briefings, is that there
                                                                                                                                 sales of pure plug-ins, which still receive the subsidy, are
   does not seem to be any recognition of such a chasm,          The German government for one, understands these dy-
                                                                                                                                 up 125%11.
   never mind an inkling of how it is to be crossed.             namics of the fledgling EV market and recently increased
                                                                 the incentive for EV purchase from €4,000 to €6,000. (In        Looking further afield we saw the new energy vehicle
   The evidence from the market is that future demand for
                                                                 this case the subsidies seem to be as much an instru-           market in China fall 34% in September of this year as
   the next generation of electric cars reaching the show-
                                                                 ment of industrial as of environmental policy with the          subsidies were realigned12.
   rooms in the coming months can be far from assumed.
                                                                 aim of assisting the German car industry to achieve
   Norway remains the poster child for electric vehicle suc-     dominance as the EV market matures.)

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

                                                    The summit or bust!
                                                    Nevertheless a number of manufacturers remain con-
                                                    vinced that the time is right to seek the mass market for
                                                    EVs and are lining up new products at lower price points
                                                    with the intention of achieving volume sales. (All prices
                                                    quoted include government grants where these apply.)

                                                    The Mini Electric (top left) launches in March 2020 at a
                                                    price of €32.5k in Germany and of £24.4k in the UK.

                                                    Volkswagen has explicitly likened the launch of its ID.3
          Mini Electric           Volkswagen ID.3   model (top right) to an ‘assault’ on the market. The
                                                    company expects an ambitious 40% of its sales to be of
                                                    battery vehicles by 2030. (Volkswagen group sold 10.9
                                                    million vehicles in 2018.) Again, the ID.3 is promised at a
                                                    price of “under €30,000” in Europe.

                                                    First deliveries of the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa-e (bottom
                                                    left) are expected in the Spring, again at a sub -€30k
                                                    price point. In the Summer, the Honda e (bottom right)
                                                    also enters the fray.

                                                    Time will soon tell whether consumer curiosity in EVs
                                                    translates into sales and whether lower pricing, and the
                                                    engineering improvements that have been achieved, will
          Opel/Vauxhall Corsa-e   Honda e
                                                    conquer the barriers to EV purchase.

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Consumer interest is                                          CO2 emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA)
                                                                 warned recently, “If consumers’ appetite for SUVs con-
   currently elsewhere                                           tinues to grow at a similar pace seen in the last decade,
   The evidence from nearly every car market, both in            SUVs would add nearly 2 million barrels a day in global
   Europe and globally, is that consumer preferences are         oil demand by 2040, offsetting the savings from nearly
   still focused elsewhere, and that EVs are not high in their   150 million electric cars.”15
   consideration list. Demand the world over is for SUVs:
                                                                 At this point in time we can therefore have little con-
   large, small and in between. In the US half of the cars
                                                                 fidence that the market for electric vehicles will bloom
   sold this year will be SUVs — a doubling of their market
                                                                 on consumer demand alone. Manufacturers face the
   share since 200813.
                                                                 inescapable tyranny of the adoption curve, and to climb
   Year-to-date in the ‘Big 5’ European markets, SUV sales       it may require much more than clever engineering.
   have risen yet again to take 38% market share . 14

   The consequence of this shift in taste has had a disas-
   trous impact on ambitions to curtail road transport’s

                                                                                                                             ‘SUV Madness’ — despite a backlash in some markets
                                                                                                                             on safety and environmental grounds, the demand for
                                                                                                                             off-road vehicles shows no sign of abating.16

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The EV Index from Sophus3 - How ready is the market for Electric Vehicles? January 2020
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   3. How car buyers are shopping for EVs

   Sales from the car market gives a fairly blunt picture      Online data from car brand and automotive publisher
   of the current low level of consumer uptake of electric     websites allows deeper insights into the car buying jour-
   vehicles. However, it tells us little about the number of   ney, the numbers of people reviewing EVs as a purchase
   people who may have considered such a purchase, or          option, and the points at which their interest may stall.
   at what point and for what reason they may have have        This data is unique to Sophus3 through its management
   rejected an EV from their consideration list.               of eDataXchange (eDX), a sector-wide, collaborative
                                                               project through which car brands share data from their
   Recent surveys of car buyers by our colleagues at the
                                                               digital platforms so as to understand the car buyers’
   Lead Agency confirm that the majority of those in-mar-
                                                               online journey and benchmark their own performance.
   ket are not ill disposed towards EVs. When asked
   directly, “Are you interested in an EV when you consider    The inclusiveness of the eDX data set provides a
   your next vehicle purchase?” nearly 60% respond-            more complete picture of consumer interest than can
   ed positively. The number who said ‘yes’ increasing         be gained from survey-based research. In the last 12
   amongst shoppers for premium brands. Those consider-        months for example, over 1.7 billion visits to car web-
   ing leasing a car were even more open to trying an EV,      sites and 30 million hours of consumer interactions have
   with 66% expressing interest.                               been analyzed.

                                                               The following charts provide some high level insights
                                                               into the current state of online interest in EVs.

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Online interest in EVs                                         Website visits to EV models as a
   remains small: less than a                                     percentage of all model visits
   third of their audience will
   move towards purchase
   The doughnut graphs show the percentage of visits to
   Electric Vehicle model pages on car brand sites relative
   to the number of visits to all models (the size of each
   doughnut shows the relative size of each country’s
   online audience). The level of interest, as we can see is
   relatively small in the ‘Big 5’ markets, averaging just over
   4%. However, this does suggest that almost three times
   as many people are reviewing EVs online compared to
   the percentage who end up buying them (sales of EVs in
   the first three quarters of 2018 made up just 1.3% of all
   car sales in these markets). The conclusion is that 2 out
   of 3 people who consider an EV are currently rejecting
   that choice.

   Only in Norway is there a sizable level of online inter-
   est in EV models. In fact here the relationship between
   online interest and sales outcomes moves in the other
   direction. Registrations of pure EVs in Norway topped
   40% during the first 9 months of 2019, whilst online
   interest in EVs was just 20% of visits to all model pages.

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Interest in EVs appears to                                  Website visits to Top 5 EVs showing
   exist within a silo                                         their most viewed competitors
   The anonymised eDX models visit data allows us to infer
   which other car models have also interested visitors to
   a specific EV model. When we look at the Top 5 most
   visited EVs in the UK market, represented in the graphic
   right, and the most popular other models that visitors to
   these pages also viewed, it is clear that the audience’s
   interest is pretty exclusively focused on EV models.

   18 of the 25 EV competitors are themselves EVs, whilst
   more than 80% of the shared visits went to other EV
   model.

   The conclusion is that those researching EVs are very
   specifically pursuing a choice they have already taken.
   There is little sign of a more general audience consid-
   ering an EV as one possibility from a broader group of
   vehicles.

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   The buyers of mainstream,                                   Visitors to Fiesta model        to the Fiesta who also visited an EV increasing to 4% of
                                                                                               the total. However, the highest placed EV was still way
   volume cars do not consider                                 % who also viewed an EV model   down in 27th place in the ranking of traffic from the
   EV models                                                                                   Fiesta page to other cars.

   Earlier in the year we analysed traffic to the model page                                   This pattern of traffic, visible for most volume cars,
   for the UK’s biggest selling new car, the Ford Fiesta, to                                   confirms the view that EVs are in the silo we described,
   see what other purchase choices visitors to its model                                       and are not, as yet, being perceived or explored as an
   page considered. We found that of the 800,000 visitors                                      alternative to mainstream cars.
   to the page, only 3% had visited or went on to visit an
   EV model. Repeating the analysis in October, we mea-
   sured a slight improvement, with the number of visitors

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   EV buyers look for informa-                                Average time spent on car website                              Visitors who start an online
   tion and reassurance and                                   model pages                                                    engagement
   are slow to engage
   The following graphs combine to give a snapshot of the
   differences in behaviour between the EV shopper and
   those looking at petrol and diesel models. The findings
   are based on visit data to all the ICE and EV model pag-
   es tracked through eDataXchange in the ‘Big 5’ Europe-
   an markets from January to November 2019.

                                                              Those reviewing an EV spend considerably longer on the         When a visitor goes to certain pages on car brand
                                                              model page than they do for other types of car. This sug-      websites it is seen as indicating a more serious intent.
                                                              gests the consumer’s need to find out more information         Such pages include the vehicle configurator, a test drive
                                                              about this new type of vehicle. (It could also indicate that   request page or a dealer locator map. Analysis of traffic
                                                              the information that is available is more difficult for them   shows that whilst 11% of those reviewing ICE cars will
                                                              to understand and absorb.)                                     move to one of these ‘engagement’ areas, EV visitors
                                                                                                                             are more hesitant. Only 7% will click on an engagement
                                                                                                                             destination.

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Visitors who begin a test drive                           Visitors who complete a test drive                            The previous examples show the insights that digital
                                                                                                                           data can provide into car buyer behaviour. Sophus3 col-
   request                                                   request                                                       lects more than 60 EV customer insight metrics. These
                                                                                                                           can be viewed at the market, brand and even model
                                                                                                                           level. As we have seen, the data can help car brands
                                                                                                                           understand the differences in their EV buyer’s journey
                                                                                                                           and identify key points where they can better engage
                                                                                                                           with and assist their customers.

   ICE shoppers are more relaxed about considering a         Whilst the overall number of people visiting a car brand
   test drive of a new car whereas the EV shopper again      site who go on to request a test drive is inevitably
   appears more hesitant. However, once the EV shopper       minuscule, the difference in EV shopper behaviour is
   starts a test drive request they are far more likely to   actually quite dramatic: whilst they are 37% less likely to
   follow through and submit that request (see figure on     start a test drive inquiry, once they have, they are 21%
   right).                                                   more likely to complete it.

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   4. The EV Index from Sophus3
   Tracking progress within the electric vehicle market

   The purpose of the Sophus3 EV Index is to provide an
   objective measure of the readiness of the vehicle market
                                                               Sophus3 makes the Index available for free to the many
                                                               and varied interest groups following and promoting the
                                                                                                                         What goes into the index?
   to enable and encourage the mainstream adoption and         growth of the electric vehicle sector, be they vehicle    The Sophus3 EV Index is formed of three pillars mea-

   ownership of electric vehicles (EVs).                       manufacturers, environmentalists, marketeers or govern-   suring distinct factors that help or hinder electric vehicle

                                                               mental agencies.                                          adoption. First of these is the consumer appetite to buy
   The EV Index is published quarterly. Initially it will                                                                electric, the second is the capability of the automotive
   measure the European ‘Big 5’ markets and benchmark          In that spirit of openness we welcome comments and        companies to supply those cars, and the third is the
   these with each other, as well as the Norwegian market      feedback, as well as suggestions as to how the index      availability of suitable infrastructure to allow an ex-
   which has the highest level of EV adoption globally. The    could be enhanced and used more effectively.              panding EV fleet to function effectively to meet buyers’
   purpose of the index will be to track, over time, whether                                                             mobility needs.
   improvements are being made to the different drivers
   of EV adoption and where barriers remain to deter their
   adoption.

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The EV Index from Sophus3
provides a clear, simple rating
of a car market’s readiness
to ‘go electric’. A score of
100 represents a state of
parity where EV purchase             The Index is made up of
and ownership would be as            three ‘pillars’, the critical
simple and no more costly            drivers of — or barriers to
than owning a petrol or diesel       — EV adoption.
car.

The EV Index is published
quarterly to show how             The Index and each of the
EV market conditions are          pillars are traffic-light coded
evolving over time.               to highlight areas where
                                  progress is being made, or
                                  where barriers to EV adoption
                                  remain.
The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

                         The consumer                                                Automotive                                                    Infrastructure
                         appetite for EVs                                            brands’ ability to                                            readiness
                                                                                     supply EVs

   Using online data, Sophus3 can quickly understand how       In this part of the index we measure firstly, the propor-    It is all very well encouraging consumers to purchase
   many people from the huge online audience to automo-        tion of electric models on offer from manufacturers com-     an EV, but without the assurances of sufficient infra-
   tive sites are actively pursuing an EV purchase. We can     pared to conventionally powered petrol and diesel cars.      structure to support that choice, in the form of suitably
   see the proportion of the total audience for car brand      More importantly, we look at the pricing of the two types    dispersed charging facilities, then those efforts will come
   sites who are looking at EVs. Consumer appetite is          of vehicle to calculate the premium that an EV buyer         to nothing.
   further measured by the volume of web searches for EVs      must pay and how that may be changing over time.
                                                                                                                            Whilst the number of public charging points, the land
   compared to the search volume for internal combustion
                                                               Pricing is central to differentiating how accessible elec-   area, population, and the size of the vehicle fleet allow
   engined (ICE) vehicles.
                                                               tric cars really are for consumers in each market, rather    for a high-level calculation of the density of facilities, the
   This consumer behaviour is given further weighting by       than being halo products that the manufacturer expects       results are not always useful. This is because people,
   comparing online behaviour with real world outcomes         to sell only in small numbers. ‘On the Road’ pricing         and their travel needs, can be dispersed geographically
   — the number of actual EV registrations (sales) that take   is used which includes all taxes, delivery and other         in very uneven ways. The UK for example, with a pop-
   place in the market. As EV market share grows, this adds    charges. Where a central government subsidy is offered       ulation density of 274 people per km2 has, perhaps not
   a virtuous momentum to the shift in consumer consider-      on purchase of an EV, this is included in the calculated     surprisingly, one of the highest percentages in Europe of
   ation by creating reference points for those consumers.     price.                                                       people living in densely populated areas: 57%. However,
                                                                                                                            Iceland, with a population density of just 3.5 people per
   The higher the level of online interest in EVs then the     The more EVs that are on offer and the lower the
                                                                                                                            km2 actually has a much greater proportion of its people
   higher the contribution to the index. That contribution,    premium paid, the higher the score contributed by this
                                                                                                                            living in areas defined as densely populated: 70%.17
   as we have said, being given additional weighting by the    element to the overall index.
   real world sales achieved.                                                                                               Such variations mean that the EV infrastructure required
                                                                                                                            in different countries and regions will look very different

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   both in scale and extent from what one might be imag-          Combining the data into a                                      gies to create an EV Index for individual car brands. This
   ined from a simple calculation of population density.                                                                         will show how they are positioned within their market,
                                                                  single index                                                   enabling them to benchmark their progress against com-
   To assess likely infrastructure need we have therefore
                                                                  The three separate indices are combined mathematically         petitors, and understand their own audience’s propensity
   used the current gasoline/diesel filling station infrastruc-
                                                                  to give a single number that represents the readiness          to buy electric. This ‘personalised’ index can form the
   ture to provide a proxy understanding of the variations in
                                                                  of a market to go electric. However, in publishing the         basis of a ready understanding of the barriers, both ex-
   infrastructure requirement between markets. Given that
                                                                  index we also show, and grade, the contribution of each        ternal and internal, that a car brand needs to overcome
   the petroleum distribution network has adapted organ-
                                                                  element. This is because significant shortcomings in one       to realise its electric vehicle ambitions.
   ically to efficiently meet the needs of the predominantly
                                                                  area could effectively stymie progress in other areas.
   ICE vehicle fleet in line with the dispersal of the popula-
                                                                  Most obviously, if the infrastructure to support EV use
   tion and their trip requirements, then this can provide a
   base factor to be used in the calculation of the future EV
                                                                  is totally inadequate, neither high levels of consumer in-
                                                                                                                                 Where to see and download
                                                                  terest, or the availability of competitively priced vehicles
   charging network and the measurement of infrastructure
                                                                  will compensate for that failing and persuade people to        the latest EV Index
   density parity that will be required.
                                                                  purchase electric.                                             The EV Index is published online at www.sophus3.com/
   The better the fit of the charging infrastructure to meet                                                                     ev_index_current.
                                                                  Each of the three pillars is shown as a traffic light. Green
   future needs, the higher the contribution of this pillar to
                                                                  indicates a good performance where conditions positive-        For more information about the EV Index and digital in-
   the overall index.
                                                                  ly encourage EV adoption. Orange indicates limitations         sights into the car buying journey, please contact Patrick
                                                                  in provision where some of the drivers for adoption are        Fuller, Head of Automotive Insight at Sophus3 (patrick.
                                                                  just satisfactory. Red indicates that a set of conditions      fuller@sophus3.com).
                                                                  exist that actively discourage consumers from wanting
                                                                  or being able to buy an EV. (Any index scoring below
                                                                  16% is shown as red, between 16–75% as orange,
                                                                  whilst a value above 75% is shown as green.)

                                                                  As well as providing a commentary on national EV mar-
                                                                  kets, Sophus3 can utilise the same data and methodolo-

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The EV Index: How ready is the market for electric vehicles?

   Endnotes                                                              ly/2X7rAyr

    1    ACEA, http://bit.ly/32GQmXo                                12   ‘China new energy vehicle sales drop 34%’, FT.com,
                                                                         14/10/2019, https://on.ft.com/33mxz4u (paywall)
    2    ACEA, http://bit.ly/2NYl6xO
                                                                    13   ‘Charts of the Year: America loves SUVs’, FT.com,
    3    https://climateemergencydeclaration.org/climate-emer-           19/12/2018, https://on.ft.com/2KaDBxY
         gency-declarations-cover-15-million-citizens/
                                                                    14   Source: IHS Automotive
    4    https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/vehicles/
         cars_en                                                    15   ‘Growing preference for SUVs challenges emissions
                                                                         reductions in passenger car market’, IEA, 15/10/2019,
    5    Automakers risk massive fines for CO2 target miss,              http://bit.ly/33awKLG
         analysts say’, Automotive News Europe, 08/04/2019,
         http://bit.ly/36Pr5O7                                      16   Handelsblatt, 06/09/2019, http://bit.ly/32vQzh3

    6    ‘Charged’, Reuters, 10/01/2019, https://tmsnrt.rs/2Ct-     17    “A harmonised definition of cities and rural areas: the
         feXR                                                            new degree of urbanisation”, Lewis Dijkstra and Hugo
                                                                         Poelman, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban
    7    ‘What is a solid-state battery? The benefits explained’,        Policy of the European Commission, 2014, http://bit.
         Wired Magazine, 26/09/207, http://bit.ly/2WKv5gL                ly/2qzPE0Y

    8    For an explanation of the adoption barriers for new
         technologies see: ‘Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and
         Selling Technology Projects to Mainstream Customers’,
         Geoffrey A. Moore. https://adbl.co/34dCYMb

    9    ‘Electric Audi SUV tops Norway’s October car sales’,
         Reuters, 01/11/2019, https://reut.rs/36UdQLW

    10   ‘Norwegian EV Policy’, https://elbil.no/english/norwe-
         gian-ev-policy/

    11   New Car Registrations October 2019, SMMT, http://bit.

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