Future of Dutch auto: Electric cars   

By The Holland Times Friday 04 June 2010, 11:06

Consumers must grasp the benefits of electric cars. This is the main conclusion from the 3 June Rotterdam meeting on the future of electric cars organised by the Stedin network.

Public opinion puts up more resistance toward electric cars than support. Research presented at the meeting shows that citizens are not willing to accept the high price of the electric driving charge, according to AD newspaper. There are currently less than 150 electric cars in the Netherlands.

"This will all change in the near future," says Dolf Cornelisz of the Louman Group, which is partly responsible for the import of Toyota vehichles. "Owning a car is not as important as using a car. This means that large groups of people will find it cheaper to buy an electric car."

By 2020, the Ministry of Transport expects to have 200,000 electric cars nationwide. Last February, Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven (CDA) proposed the Netherlands act as an international test for electric cars. 

The government is therefore closely involved in the development of this mode of transport. "But it is important that public is aware of the benefits of electric cars,"said a ministry spokesman.