Eco-friendly with comfy seats – what children want from a future car
Young drivers of tomorrow are ready and excited to drive electric with 49% wanting their future car to be powered by electricity, a research study with eight- to nine-year-olds by Ford has revealed.
The Ford Go Electric: Future Generation study, which spoke to youngsters who will be able to drive in 2030 when the UK Government moves to only electric car sales, found nearly four in five (79%) are looking forward to learning how to drive a car and 49% want their car to be powered by electricity, compared to just 17% preferring petrol cars, diesel (10%) and gas (7%).
What’s more, this generation is so eager to get behind the wheel, that they’ve set their sights on some ambitious features for their dream first car. When specifying their perfect wheels, the majority of those surveyed wanted a vehicle that can take to the sky and fly. Comfortable seats were a big priority (36%) as was a good sound system (27%), while almost a quarter (24%) wanted self-driving ability and environmentally friendly features (32%).
The youngsters’ wish list has been brought to life by Ford senior exterior designer, Nedzad Mujcinovic in the form of the Ford Future Generation Concept Car. The electric-powered flying car shows what their dream spec could look like, illustrated in a striking red and black colour scheme which proved to be the most popular combination.
Today’s eight- and nine-year-olds are set to be the first generation of drivers to take their test when all new cars on sale will be electric. Ford’s research has highlighted their desire to protect the environment as the motivation for embracing electric driving, with 78% agreeing that we have to try our hardest to look after the planet, by being as green as possible. Children ranked electric cars as by far the most environmentally friendly type of car (45%) compared to petrol (21%), while 19% considered electric and petrol as having the same environmental impact.
As Britain drives towards the 2030 electrification deadline, almost three quarters (71%) of young people felt that adults were encouraging them to be environmentally friendly, and conversely adults are aware of the need to be positive role models. Ford’s separate survey of adults aged 18+** revealed that more than 70% of British adults think they have a responsibility to lay the foundation of sustainable mobility for the next generation.