Nearly 8 in 10 drivers sometimes deliberately leave their car at home

More than 3.6 thousand inhabitants of the Netherlands aged 18 and over were interviewed for the Perceptions survey between February and June 2020. They were asked what they thought and what they were doing about climate change and the energy transition. The survey had been under way for several weeks when the coronavirus crisis broke out. The coronavirus crisis and subsequent measures may have influenced the respondents' answers.

Environment or climate often not the main reason for leaving car at home

Almost half (48 percent) of the drivers who sometimes left their car at home said they did so mostly to get more exercise. Sixteen percent did so for a better environment or climate. A further 16 percent said that in some cases it was easier not to take the car. Fewer than 10 percent cited a different reason, such as saving money or traffic congestion.

Small proportion of households considering buying an electric car

In addition to the question of whether drivers sometimes deliberately left their car at home, the Perceptions 2020 survey also asked whether households were planning to buy an electric car. Two percent of households said they had definite plans to buy or lease a fully electric car in the next two years, while 6 percent said they might do so. More than half (54 percent) said they would do so mainly for the sake of the environment or climate. Twenty-two percent cited cost savings as the main or sole reason for buying or considering an electric car.

Cost is the main reason for not buying an electric car

Of the households planning to buy a car in the next two years, but not opting for an electric car, the most frequently cited reason was high cost (63 percent). The inability to drive long distances on a full charge was also frequently mentioned (41 percent). Reasons mentioned less frequently were the lack of sufficient charging stations (17 percent) and the long charging time (15 percent).

There were almost 200 thousand plug-in cars in the Netherlands at the beginning of 2020. That includes fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars. Over half of these cars were fully electric. That amounts to 2.3 percent of the total number of cars on the road. In 2014, the figure was 0.4 percent. At the beginning of last year 0.6 percent of private households had a fully electric or plug-in hybrid car.

Four out of 10 people agree with current daytime speed limit on motorways

By reducing the speed limit on motorways the government aims to improve the environment or climate. Forty-one percent of the population aged 18 and over agree with the daytime speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour on Dutch motorways. Just over half want to drive faster during the daytime, however: Nine percent want 110 kilometres per hour, 24 percent want 120 kilometres per hour and 15 percent want 130 kilometres per hour. Three percent want a speed limit of more than 130 kilometres per hour or no speed limit at all.