EV Adoption and the Power of Sufficiency: Why Less Range is More

In the push towards electric vehicle (EV) adoption, automakers are locked in a battle to offer the longest range, the largest batteries, and the biggest numbers. It’s an arms race that, in many ways, misses the point of what we actually need. Range anxiety is real—but it’s also something we can tackle with behavioural science, and we can start by reframing the conversation about range itself.

Here’s the surprising truth: Eurostat pegs the average daily driving distance in Europe at 50-70 km. This is well within the capability of even the shortest-range EVs currently on the market. And yet, people still feel anxious. Why? Because of our psychological bias towards worst-case scenarios—being stranded without power is an imagined nightmare that sticks with us, even if it’s far removed from our real driving habits.

This is where governments can step in. Automakers, understandably, are focused on solving for brand differentiation—bigger batteries, extended range, features that promise to beat the competition. But as a society, we don’t need every EV to have a 1,000 km range. What we need is for people to feel comfortable and confident that their EV can handle their everyday needs.

A public advertising campaign, funded by the EU or national governments, could do wonders in addressing this psychological gap. Using a concept called "sufficiency framing," we can reshape the conversation: what if, instead of seeing shorter-range EVs as lacking, we started viewing them as the smart, efficient choice? After all, why carry extra weight, pay for extra battery capacity, and worry about the additional environmental cost when the truth is that most people simply don’t need it? Choosing an EV with a sufficient range is, as I like to call it, "the intelligent rebellion against unnecessary excess."

Imagine an ad campaign that emphasizes just how much you save with an EV—and then uses that savings to paint a compelling picture. The truth is, most EVs save you enough money that renting a petrol car for those few rare road trips is entirely feasible. In fact, with the savings, you could drive a more luxurious car on holiday than you might otherwise be able to afford. The logic of this may not sell, but the imagery certainly will: the ability to drive a high-end car for your vacation, thanks to the savings from your everyday EV, is a much more appealing benefit than an abstract "sufficient range."

The power of behavioural science lies in its ability to adjust our mental frames. Range anxiety isn’t just about the numbers—it’s about our expectations, about adjusting what we think we need versus what we actually need. For the vast majority of people, even the shortest-range EVs are more than sufficient for daily life. The goal is to help consumers feel that sufficiency not as a compromise, but as a confident, savvy decision that places them ahead of the curve.

The sooner we convince the early majority to buy in, the sooner we can shelve government incentivesand let the market take over. But to get there, we need to shift the conversation, challenge the biases, and leverage the right tools—like sufficiency framing and clever nudges that speak to human aspirations. Governments have the unique position to do just that, accelerating adoption by enhancing confidence and comfort rather than feeding into fears. It’s time to step up and rethink what “enough” really means in the world of EVs.