Nearly half of consumers want electric vehicles

Turkish motorists' interest in electric vehicles is growing stronger and they even appear to be keener on buying one than those in advanced countries, including Germany, France and the U.S.

Some 49 percent of Turkish consumers say they will consider an EV for their next vehicle, higher than 42 percent in Germany, 44 percent in India, 46 percent in the U.S, and 48 percent in France, according to a survey, titled 'Switching on the rEVolution' by Castrol.

Turkish consumers want to buy an EV not because those cars are less costly but because worries about environment. However, their biggest concern is the availability of charging infrastructure.

Around 88 percent of Turkish participants of the survey say they want to have an EV to reduce pollution in cities. Some 84 percent consider an EV because they believe electric cars have more advanced technology compared to conventional or hybrid cars, while 85 percent say the introduction of new models to the market lure them to buying electric cars. Around 82 percent cite lower emissions.

Some 61 of Turkish motorists believe EVs total cost is lower than cars with internal combustion engine (ICE).

In August, 751 electric vehicles were sold in Türkiye, soaring 342 percent from a year ago. EVs accounted for only 2.1 percent of all vehicles - passenger cars and light commercial vehicles - sold in the country.

From January to August, the number of EVs sold increased by 175 percent year-on-year to 3,283 units, according to data from the Automotive Distributors' Association (ODD).

Some 1,489 of those EVs sold have the total battery capacity of more than 160 kilowatt-hours, while 1,794 have the capacify of 160 or less.

In the first eight months of 2022, 34,265 hybrid cars were...

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