CONFUSION about electric vehicle technology is putting off motorists from making the switch to zero emission driving.

That is the finding of new research commissioned by Ford as part of its UK-wide consumer education roadshow,Go Electric.

Electric vehicles currently only account for around five per cent of total new car sales in the UK, and the Ford survey highlights that there are still significant barriers to mainstream adoption.

Chief among these is the apparent lack of appeal to consumers - nearly half (46 per cent) said they don't intend to buy an electric vehicle in the future, while a fifth (21 per cent) say they will likely not consider an electric vehicle for the next five years.

A further fifthâ¯said they will likely only purchase in the next three to five years.

The reasons for consumer hesitance to electrified vehicles are mixed, with range anxiety (37 per cent), apparent lack of affordability (53 per cent) and worries about where to charge (51 per cent) being cited as critical deterrents.

But the survey also revealed there is widespread confusion around the technology itself: only two-thirds (64 per cent) correctly identified that an electric car electric is a vehicle that has one or more electric motors.

Additionally, three-quarters said they are not confident in the difference between hybrid and battery electric cars, while nearly half (43 per cent) said they don't know enough about the technology to consider purchasing an electric or electrified vehicle.

In addition, 29 per cent don't think the average person is ready to change to battery electric vehicles.

Ford createdGo Electric,a consumer education roadshow to demystify the questions people have about switching to electrified vehicles and address consumer concerns around hybrid and electric vehicles.

Andy Barratt, managing director, Ford of Britain said:"While the move to electrification is gathering pace, there's no mistaking that this is a huge task ahead of us that will require fundamental efforts to ensure consumers are taken on the journey, and the first step is understanding what their options are."

He added: "A range of stakeholders - including national and local government, energy providers and vehicle manufacturers - need to come together with a unified goal if we are to meet the electrification challenge.

"Given the size and scale of what we want to achieve in the UK, we need to kick-start this process. A fast start could include the creation of a specific senior role in government to help coordinate a comprehensive electrification strategy for the UK - a 'Minister for Electrification' who can work cross-functionally across government and with the various stakeholders."