What do kids really think about electric cars and the future of driving?

Exclusive research carried out by Big Issue and YouGov has found that 52% of children aged six to 15 believe that having an electric car in the future is important, compared to 23% who think it is not important.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our survey also revealed that future generations also care about the environment: 62% care “a lot” and 30% “a little”. Only 1% believe it’s not at all important.

When it comes to how they move around, children say they prefer to travel by car. For 42% of our respondents, car is their first choice of transport for daily journeys, while 23% prefer to walk. Cycling and public transport rate 16% and 9% respectively. These results intrigued us – and we wanted to delve deeper. How would a group of savvy children react to snazzy new electric cars from Big Issue’s Driving Change For Good partners, Citroën, given the chance to explore them and quiz the team who build them?

So, we invited pupils from Finham Park school in Coventry to thoroughly explore an all-new Citroën ë-C3 and a dinky Ami, then sit down with head honchos from Citroën UK – Clare White, marketing director, and Greg Taylor, managing director – at its Performance Academy, to find out what car-makers are doing to make a brighter future for transport.

Overall, what we took from our day was a huge enthusiasm for all things efficiency-focused. It wasn’t a burden to consider recycled materials in cars, or that renewable energy – be that battery or hydrogen – would power vehicles in the future. These things were inevitable, and not something to be concerned about. To the kids we spoke to, these changes bring opportunity and evolution. And those were accepted as good things. Afterwards, Clare discussed what she’d taken from the experience. “It was inspiring to see such curiosity and enthusiasm from the students at Finham Park,” she said. “We look forward to continuing this partnership and helping young minds explore the exciting future of electrification with Citroën.”

Here’s what the kids had to say:

IS THE FUTURE ELECTRIC?

Their answer to this is yes – but with caveats. All the children that visited our friends at Citroën were optimistic about electric cars being the future.

George, 13, thinks that “In the future everybody will have an electric car because it’s much more efficient and it’s cheaper to refuel. And it’s way better for the environment… Although most people get their electricity from the grid, which is mostly non-renewable energy so it still doesn’t fix the problem. Not yet, at least. I hope that in future, maybe they could charge themselves? I think they’ll have solar panels on the roof.”

Connie, 12, tells us that “there will be more electric than petrol cars, in the future. And I think they’ll be a little bit smaller but faster. I am looking forward to driving, but I’m a bit scared!”

Billy, 12, has a slightly different take on whether battery electric cars will dominate in years to come: “In 20 years’ time, I think cars will look very futuristic. They’ll definitely be using hydrogen fuel cells by that point.”

WHAT WILL YOUR FUTURE CAR BE LIKE?

Our survey, carried out by YouGov with responses from 1,000 kids aged six to 15 across the UK, also asked children to choose what they’d like in their “dream car” of the future. Their top five priorities were: comfort (54%), good gadgets and tech (45%), speed (44%), ability to fly (40%) and screens in the back (37%). Funnily enough, that top five reflects what Citroën’s family electric cars are known for… well, except for the ability to fly (so far).

In our Coventry field test, all of the children are taken with the idea of flying cars in the future, although one bright spark does note that “it might be quite hard to insure a flying car”.

Other chief concerns include efficiency and convenience, with many of the kids focusing on ways to make cars kinder to the environment. “I feel like, as cars evolve,” says Billy, “they’ll become more aerodynamic. Not like Formula One cars, but smoother – because you won’t need a big ‘box’ for the engine any more.”

Jake, 12, is keen on autonomous cars. “If you developed robots to self-drive cars, maybe so that they could drive even better than a human, you could just put in a destination like on a nav and the car would take you there. And maybe you wouldn’t have to get a driving licence.”

“I’d like an evolved version of the Citroën Ami. One that can take more people and go further to a charge!” says one enthusiastic contributor. The tiny Ami really strikes a chord with the kids, who love everything from the moulded plastic storage to the flap-up windows and quirky looks, all of which do give it the air of being a toy car made real. Its originality is a huge hit, as is the comfort of the e-C3: its cushy seats, another student enthuses, “are so comfy I could sleep in there”.

So, if you’re ever feeling jaded about politics, slightly alarming technical advances, and the general uncertainty of modern life, talk to a 12- or 13-year-old. The future will, suddenly, seem a lot brighter.

To learn more about Citroën’s plug-in hybrid vehicles and 100% electric models, head to citroen.co.uk/electric-for-all.html