Why are you scared of electric cars? Stadtteilauto Osnabrück educates customers about electric-mobility

Eine Deutsche Version dieses Artikels findet ihr hier.

You see them much more often on the roads these days: EVs from a wide variety of manufacturers. From Volkswagen to Renault, Tesla, BYD and others.

But for many, they still seem new and unfamiliar. Sometimes it even seems as if people are afraid of electric vehicles! But why is that? And what role do car manufacturers and charging station providers play in this?

Hands-on electric mobility – an example from Osnabrück

On 3 July, the local car-sharing provider ‘Stadtteilauto’ held an information event in Osnabrück, Germany. Anyone who was interested had the chance to test drive the electric cars, try out how charging works, or simply ask questions. This was a great opportunity, because it is often precisely this kind of opportunity that is needed to overcome initial reservations and fear. 

In 2022 a study by car rental company Sixt found that 55% of car-sharing users prefer electric vehicles over combustion. According to the study, one-third of all people would like to try out an electric car at least once.

Even for people who passed their driving test a few years ago, electric cars were not yet a topic. No one taught them how electric cars work. How could they? The topic was not covered in driving school. This is even more true for older generations. Only people who are currently getting their driving licence come into contact with electric vehicles while driving on the roads and possibly during their driving lessons.

The role of driving schools

Some driving schools have started to include electric cars in their fleets so that students can gain experience in handling them. However, this is not yet the case at all driving schools, so many people get their driving licence but still don't know how to charge or drive an electric car.

Assuming someone were to complete their entire driving training in an electric car, another issue comes into play: since all electric cars have automatic transmissions, this would only allow them to drive an automatic vehicle. This is not necessarily the best idea in regards to flexibility and may even scare some learners off.

However, integrating electric cars into driving schools can be a good idea. As learner driver Viktoria describes in an article by Deutschlandnetz: "Driving an electric car feels like floating in a spaceship. [...] It's more relaxed than in other cars." Driving instructor Stefanie Sonnenschein also describes more relaxed driving lessons due to the absence of stalling at traffic lights or other similar situations where starting the car is required.

Imagine: you've just got your driving licence, you don't have your own car, so you decide to go with a car-sharing car. Would you choose an electric car for your first solo drive? Probably not, if you don't know how to charge it or disconnect it from the charging station.

Automatic? Yes. Charging? Maybe not.

The driving itself is rarely the problem: electric cars are easy to drive thanks to the automatic transmission. Just step on the accelerator and go. The challenge is usually the charging: how do I pull the cable out of the charging station? How do I get it out of the car again? Many people don't know that the cable is locked during the charging process.

Swantje Amelung, organiser of the Stadtteilauto event, says:

"Either they have problems right from the start and don't even attempt the journey. Or they can't plug it in. Either they just leave [the car unplugged], which is not good. Or they call us and then it usually works."

The variety of charging stations also makes it difficult to get started. Undine Völckers, who creates the instructions for the charging stations and electric vehicles for Stadtteilauto, explains:


"I've made a list: there are about 16 different charging stations in the Osnabrück area. They're not that different, but they're different enough that you sometimes need individual pictures or a little instruction, because the order is different and the appearance is different."

What helps, at least, is that since 2013 there has been a standardised plug type: the Mennekes plug. Otherwise, the chaos would be even greater, she explains.

But the range of the cars and other minor details that users have never encountered before also play a role in the uncertainties reported by electric car users, Amelung knows from her experience working the service hotline.

Testing electric cars

"Some of our older customers rent various electric vehicles on a permanent basis because they are interested in buying an electric vehicle but are still undecided about which one to choose," she reports. The different electric vehicles are then thoroughly tested, and some are even used for really long distances to really put the cars through their paces.

"That's not necessarily what we want to achieve, because we actually want people to switch from private cars to car sharing," explains Amelung. But Stadtteilauto also doesn't want to lose out on these customers either, even if they only use the service for a limited amount of time.

Conclusion: So why be afraid?

To answer the question in the headline: Why are people afraid of electric cars? Why are EVs scary? They're not really. The biggest hurdle is the many differences in the necessary steps for using them and the fear of doing something wrong, which in many ways is due to a lack of education, the differences between cars and car manufacturers and charging station providers. Unlike combustion engines, you can't say that if you can operate one electric car, you can operate them all without encountering any issues. Charging and plugging in and out varies too much from car to car and charging station to charging station.

Car and charging station manufacturers need to make it easier for people. But information resources such as illustrated instruction manuals and events like the one in Osnabrück are also a great support. Knowing that there are people to answer your questions if you ever have one, such as the people at Stadtteilauto, is a great relief. It doesn't take away all your fears, but it's a good step that allows you to take the plunge into electric cars with more confidence.

And once you are brave enough to drive an electric car, you quickly realise: it's fun. The rapid acceleration is brilliant and gliding silently through the streets actually feels a bit like being in a rocketship. So it's worth looking into the subject.

And be assured, asking questions: there's absolutely no shame in that.

* quotes translated from German

What is car-sharing

„Car-sharing is a service that allows drivers to use a shared vehicle and it represents one of the pillars for sustainable urban mobility. [...]

Cars are distributed in cities within a defined business area and can be spontaneously and flexibly picked up and dropped off there at any time.“ - Quote by Share Now

Sources:

- https://emobilitaetblog.de/elektroautos-fahrschule/
- https://www.share-now.com/de/en/car-sharing-advantages/
- https://www.deutschlandnetz.de/fahrstunde-im-e-auto-wie-im-raumschiff-schweben
- https://www.stadtteilauto.info/service/elektrofahrzeuge
- https://www.stadtteilauto.info/service/kurzanleitungen-ladesaeulen
- Stadtteilauto Event, 3 July 2025, Osnabrück, Germany