Study: Finns believe electric cars will mitigate climate change

Study: Finns believe electric cars will mitigate climate change                 

According to a new study, the majority of Finns (75%) believe that using        
electric cars can help reduce emissions and energy consumption and curb climate 
change.                                                                         

According to the survey, people living in cities and particularly in the        
Helsinki metropolitan area are most confident about the impact of electric cars.
The majority of the Finns surveyed, over 60%, thought the most important benefit
of electric cars is the emissions-free aspect. Approximately every fourth       
respondent mentioned that electric cars are economical to use. Respondents      
believe that electric cars are at their best particularly in city use.          
Respondents believe that short distances, no emissions, and quietness are the   
attributes associated with electric cars in the cities of the future.           
                                                                                
Electric cars are of interest to Finns in general, and the overwhelming majority
of the respondents want more information about the opportunities afforded by    
electric cars. The information most wanted concerns electric car prices and the 
price development of them.                                                      

Car prices and taxation of concern                                              

Even though electric cars are seen to have clear advantages compared to cars    
powered by conventional combustion engines, an electric car purchase is not yet 
being considered by many people. According to the study, during the past year   
12% of Finns had thought about purchasing an electric car. Most people thinking 
of acquiring an electric car were in the 25-34 age group, and Espoo residents,  
of which 16% had thought about getting an electric car.                         

The aspects respondents mentioned that would prevent them from purchasing an    
electric car included price compared to conventional cars and the travel        
distance on a single charge. The respondents are also concerned about the       
taxation of electric cars.                                                      

Fortum promotes motoring with electric cars                                     

In the study, the new-generation electric car referred to a plug-in hybrid and a
battery electric vehicle that are recharged directly from the grid. The car is  
plugged into a power outlet at a recharging station in the same way as an engine
heater in winter.                                                               

Fortum wants to participate in minimising emissions and to enable the wide-scale
adoption of plug-in electric cars when car manufacturers introduce them to the  
markets within a few years. Fortum has an electric car experiment under way in  
Stockholm and is launching similar projects also in Finland.                    

”Promoting electric cars supports Fortum's efforts to build a low-carbon        
society. The potential for electric cars is significant in Finland and should be
part of the dialogue about achieving climate and energy targets,” says Carola   
Teir-Lehtinen, Corporate Vice President, Sustainability.                        

The study surveying Finnish attitudes about electric cars was carried out via   
the internet during September-October 2008; there were 1,266 respondents, which 
is a representative sample of Finns. The survey was commissioned by Fortum and  
conducted by Reputation Management Consultancy Pohjoisranta. The data was       
collected by TNS Gallup Oy.                                                     

Fortum Corporation                                                              
Corporate Communications                                                        

Additional information:                                                         
Researcher Anne Hyvärilä, tel. +358 50 344 2444, anne [dot] hyvarila [at] pohjoisranta [dot] fi