Survey shows strong Victorian support for electric-powered cars, automated technology

VICTORIAN motorists are embracing electric-powered car technology, raising questions of when the government might phase out petrol or diesel sales.

VICTORIAN motorists are embracing electric-powered car technology, raising questions of when the government might phase out petrol or diesel sales.

A major survey of Victorian motorists’ attitudes to self-­driving vehicles by EastLink, with support from the Australian Road Research Board, has also shown strong support for automated technology.

More than 15,000 motorists took part in the first Victorian self-driving vehicle survey, which found a majority of respondents were not considering petrol-powered cars for their next vehicle.

More than a third of respondents are considering hybrid power, while a quarter are considering 100 per cent battery electric vehicles.

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More than 15,000 motorists took part in the first Victoria self-driving vehicle survey.

EastLink spokesman Doug Spencer-Roy said that the later respondents ­expected to buy new vehicles, the less likely they were to consider petrol or ­diesel.

“EastLink’s survey shows more than half of respondents are no longer considering a trad­itional petrol combustion engine for their next car,” Mr Spencer-Roy said.

“That’s a massive change from traffic on our roads today, where the large majority of cars are powered by traditional petrol combustion engines.”

The survey also found that the majority of respondents said they had very little or no knowledge of self-driving cars.

With self-driving features such as lane keeping assistance and self-parking already available in the latest production cars, Mr Spencer-Roy said it was clear that more and better information needed to be provided to Victorian motorists.

“Even though hands-free driving on freeways and tollways like EastLink is not yet available, the survey shows that one-in-three respondents already want this feature in their next car,” he said.

The survey also found that the majority of respondents say they have very little or no knowledge of self-driving cars.

“We expect this demand to grow further as awareness of self-driving cars increases.

“EastLink’s survey shows that a majority of respondents want their next vehicles to be connected to a data network to receive traffic and road condition warnings, vehicle security and automatic emergency assistance.

“With assistance from road operators, telecommunication providers and others, car manufacturers can deliver useful and attractive services that will improve road safety and help motorists navigate congestion better.”

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