More and More Germans Are Acquainted With Hybrid Technology

At the beginning of this year, TNS/Infratest surveyed for the first time approximately 1,000 motorists in each of eight international markets – China, Germany, France, UK, Japan, Austria, Switzerland and the U.S.A. – on behalf of Continental AG. The study focused on the motorists' current state of knowledge and opinions of hybrid drive systems, their driving behavior and their views on battery-powered cars. Similar surveys had already been performed in Germany in 2006 and 2007.

The trend toward rising fuel costs is boosting interest in alternative powertrain systems. Whereas in 2006 approximately 78 percent of those asked stated that they had already heard or read about hybrid technology and/or hybrid drives for cars, 80.1 percent said they had in last year’s survey, and the percentage for Germans in the 2008 survey was as high as 86.9.

“Media focus on alternative drive systems has risen during the past two years”, said Dr. Neumann, explaining the reason for the increasing awareness. “More and more Germans are now acquainted with hybrid drive technologies.” Knowledge of what is actually involved in a hybrid drive is, however, stagnant. Whereas in 2006 36.7 percent of German motorists knew that hybrid propulsion combines a combustion engine with electric power, in 2008 that figure went down slightly to 35.7 percent. Having explained to survey participants what a hybrid drive is, altogether 81.4 percent declared in 2008 that they had heard or read about it, so that percentage is virtually unchanged at a high level.

More than half the German motorists reported that they had changed their driving behavior in the face of fuel price increases. 55.2 percent of the Germans alter their driving habits always or mostly as soon as the prices for diesel and gasoline go up. As many as 58.2 percent of those interviewed in the eastern part of Germany reported that they reacted to developments at the gas pump by saving money where they could. “Over one in two of the German car drivers have realized that fuels like diesel and gasoline are becoming a highly expensive commodity”, said Dr. Neumann.

The cost of buying a car is no longer as important to German motorists as it was two years ago. In 2006, four out of ten motorists (39.9 percent) said they would like purchase costs to be more attractive for buyers; in 2007, only 26.5 percent replied that this would affect their buying decision. This year, the figure rose again slightly to 29.7 percent. Given these lower percentages, the price of a car still represents an important factor, but is no longer as dominant as it used to be. Environmental aspects are likewise becoming less and less important in the decision to buy a hybrid vehicle. In 2006, as many as 22.5 percent of the potential hybrid buyers wanted to help improve the environment, and almost one in five respondents (24.1 percent) said the same in 2007. This year, however, only 15.6 percent of the Germans said they would buy a hybrid vehicle for reasons of protecting the environment.

Hybrid drives present significant savings potential, especially in city driving. And it is in cities where the vast majority of motorists can be found each day: 85.2 percent of interviewees said they travel less than 30,000 kilometers a year, more than two thirds (66.6 percent) primarily in city traffic.

“City and short-distance drivers can reduce their energy consumption by more than 25 percent using hybrid drives, while also helping to reduce CO2 emissions,” stated Dr. Neumann regarding the advantages compared to conventional vehicles.

Only 27.4 percent of the Germans – less than one-third – said that they were definitely prepared or very likely to make such a purchase decision. A majority of motorists would be interested, though, if the government were to provide tax incentives for the purchase of hybrid vehicles. Almost two thirds of the respondents (63.6 percent) would then consider purchasing a hybrid car. Compared with the past two years, these results are more or less the same. This type of incentive would be even more persuasive to car drivers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern/Brandenburg/Saxony-Anhalt (69.8 percent), as well as in Baden-Württemberg (69.2 percent), Berlin (67.1 percent) and Saxony/Thuringia (65.5 percent). So far, only 1.8 percent of Germans drive a hybrid car.

The percentage of those expecting hybrid cars to involve extra cost has dropped 1.5 percent. Just under two thirds of German car drivers (65.7 percent) assume that environmentally friendly hybrid drives cost more than conventional cars; in 2006, that figure was higher at 67.2 percent. Whereas two years ago, Germans expected to pay about €3,919 more for a hybrid car, they meanwhile assume that amount to have gone up by €144 on average to a total of €4,064. On the other hand, potential savings are expected to also be slightly higher at approximately €3,375. An average of 48.2 percent of German motorists are not prepared to pay more for a hybrid vehicle. The other half could envision investing up to €2,817 in a more environmentally friendly vehicle (2006: €2,348).

“These results show that acting in an environmentally conscious manner still remains a largely cost-driven process in Germany,” explained Dr. Neumann. “However, purchase cost alone should not be taken as the decisive factor, because – in the long term – hybrid technologies and drives will bring savings to every motorist who drives mainly in cities.” In the technology awareness analysis, the pure electric drive system came fourth place with an average of 23.3. percent. As many as one in three motorists in Berlin (30.6 percent) are acquainted with this alternative drive system. Other fuel-efficient drive systems in the minds of German motorists are natural gas (27.5 percent) and diesel vehicles (23.8 percent). Rapid development in lithium-ion battery technology – including contributions by Continental – is leading to increased interest in electric cars. Almost half of all motorists (43.1 percent) could “definitely,” “very likely” or “somewhat likely” envision buying a car designed for city driving that runs exclusively on battery power and produces no emissions at all. About 57.8 percent of German motorists would change their attitude if such vehicles were the only ones permitted in cities and if they were also exempt from motor vehicle tax. Continental will start series production of lithium-ion batteries on September 24 in Nuremberg, Germany, as the first manufacturer to do so worldwide.