Watch our live debate again in the video below to hear how industry experts and politicians want to shake up the EV industry, the market and policy to increase appeal to women and the population as a whole.
ADVERTISEMENTEurope 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:
Only one in 10 EV drivers are women
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.
EVs are not designed to appeal to 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 kind of use, Tomašič said.
“The most obvious reason, though, is affordability - women tend to spend less on cars and EVs tend to be more expensive.”
There is no EV on the market that can replace the small, affordable car
Tommaso Pardi, sociologist and senior researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), similarly pointed to key design characteristics of EVs as the culprit.
At the moment, EVs are generally big, heavy cars because of the “increasing uncoordinated regulatory pressures”, Pardi said.
ADVERTISEMENTTargets like zero deaths on the roads, zero emissions, more connectivity and more recyclability mean manufacturers are having to include ever more technology in their vehicles resulting in bigger and heavier models.
“In 2023, the average BEV sold in Europe weighed around two tonnes and cost around €66,000,” he said.
Several statistics show that women tend to buy smaller, lighter and more affordable cars than men.
One major reason is that domestic trips are taken 75 per cent by women (long-distance trips in contrast are taken 80 per cent by men), according to Pardi.
ADVERTISEMENT“What is the most rational choice for this kind of trip? Old, small cars which are cheap to buy, cheap to use, easy to drive, easy to park and you don’t need to drive fast,” said Pardi.
“But in the current electric market, there is nothing to replace this kind of car, not even in five or ten years.”
As EVs tend to be produced as SUVs - which are bought 80 per cent by men - women are not attracted to them, Pardi added.
“This is a problem because women actually tend to buy the more energy-efficient car, so we need to democratise the access to EVs,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENTGender inequality in electric vehicle infrastructure
There are also external factors that influence women’s reluctance to invest in EVs.
“In large cities or in rural areas some of the charging areas are not lit and women have told me they feel unsafe waiting for the car to charge,” Tomašič said.
Talking about the EAFO study on EV drivers, Linkova-Nijs noted that as women are more likely to live in apartment blocks, their access to charging stations is more restricted.
“In an apartment block, there is no access to private charging so they cannot profit from cheaper electricity,” Linkova-Nijs said.
ADVERTISEMENT“A woman in an apartment block first needs to find public charging - which is not easy - and the price of electricity there is much more expensive so this is also a question of making electricity prices affordable for EV users.”
Tomašič sees these external factors as key hurdles in the growth of the market.
“I don’t think we can keep putting more and more regulations on the car manufacturers without creating the necessary environment to sell EVs,” she said.
“We cannot keep punishing manufacturers because people can’t afford EVs or because electricity prices are high.”
ADVERTISEMENTLinkova-Nijs added that there is now no longer an issue with the supply of EVs, but with the demand.
“The manufacturers have done their job, they’ve put the vehicles on the market,” she said, “but now we need to make sure consumers are on board.”
“Everyone needs to pull together if we want to make this happen - the authorities, the industry and even the consumer needs to be part of the equation,” said Alexander W. Wehr, President and CEO of BMW Group Belux.
At BMW, Wehr said they are working to help consumers overcome their reservations and even fear of EVs and the charging infrastructure with an ‘electric driving academy’.
ADVERTISEMENT“We invite people who are playing with the idea of getting into the electric market because there is a lot of psychological burden and fear,” he said.
At the academy, they explain technological features like the battery capacity, range and how to charge.
"We are promoting the culture of sustainable mobility, we see ourselves with a key responsibility as a corporate citizen to support this transition,” said Wehr.
With the market shrinking from 15 per cent to 13 per cent from last year to this year, the need to find solutions is urgent.
ADVERTISEMENTOur panellists emphasised that to do so requires a multifaceted and coordinated effort.
“It’s not just about manufacturers but all other conditions like the infrastructure, the electricity prices, the price of batteries, competitive manufacturing environment in Europe and the regulatory framework. All these things need to work in sync for the transition to happen,” said Linkova-Nijs.
Linkova-Nijs noted that cheaper models are emerging on the market at around €25,000 but very affordable cars are still a challenge.
“The price of a battery vehicle will always be more expensive because the cost of battery manufacturing is higher than for combustion engines,” she said.
ADVERTISEMENT“Talking about smaller vehicles, the battery is accountable for 40 per cent of all material costs.”
She emphasised that this is why it is important to continue with incentives for the purchase and use of EVs.
Pardi added that policy and regulation at a European level but also at a national level and down to cities need to play a role in this transition.
“What is on the line is the future of our planet. EVs are clearly the technology of the future,” he says. “The faster we move there the better it is.”
ADVERTISEMENTBelgium, Denmark and the Netherlands lead the EV revolution
While the general market trend for EVs has taken a downward turn, our panellists highlighted that it has not been shrinking everywhere.
There is growing demand in Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium so other European countries need to look to these nations to steer their own policies.
“Belgium has grown by 40 per cent in electric vehicle sales up to this date,” said Wehr.
“We see markets shrinking where there are eclectic policy rulings and subsidies withdrawn from one day to another - the economy and the consumer need predictability and know what they are buying into.”
ADVERTISEMENTWehr said Belgium has a growing EV market because it has a strong commitment to making the Green Deal happen as well as financial subsidies in the north of the country.
“Things start to take off when all parties pull together,” he said.
Meet the panellists:
Zala Tomašič, MEP
Zala Tomašič is a Slovenian politician for the right-wing conservative SDS. She is a member of the European Parliament as part of the political group European People's Party (EPP), with her term starting on 16 July 2024. Tomašič is the youngest elected Member of the European Parliament in the history of Slovenia.
Tomašič studied political science and economics in the US and went on to do an internship in the US Senate in Washington DC. She is the author of the book Invisible election rigging: Effect of social media and technology on democratic practices.
ADVERTISEMENTMaria Linkova-Nijs, Executive Head of Policy and Strategy, ACEA
Maria Linkova-Nijs is the Executive Head of Policy and Strategy at the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). She has more than 15 years of experience in media relations and EU government affairs.
Her role involves translating and breaking down complex and technical narratives into simple messages to make lobbying and reputation management more efficient and impactful. She uses insights from other disciplines, such as digital marketing and behaviour science, to inform the way the association communicates with and influences policy in Brussels.
Tommaso Pardi, sociologist
Tommaso Pardi is a researcher and sociologist specialising in the automotive sector. He currently works at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) as a senior researcher. He is the director of the international Gerpisa network, a permanent study and research group focusing on the automobile industry and its employees, which was set up in 1992.
Pardi has published several papers on developments in the automotive sector covering topics including employment, industrial policies and company strategies. He is currently researching the electrification and digitisation of the automotive sector in Europe.
ADVERTISEMENTAlexander W. Wehr, President and CEO of BMW Group Belux
Alexander Wehr became the President and CEO of BMW Group Belux in 2022. Prior to this role, he worked as vice president of sales and marketing and was a member of the executive board of BMW Motorrad. From 2016 to 2021, he was President and CEO of BMW Group Latin America. Wehr studied at the German business and law school EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht.