Most Americans Want Nothing To Do With Electric Vehicles, Survey Says
Ipsos recently collaborated with Yahoo Finance to find out how the average American feels about the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). They surveyed a sample of 1,025 adults over 18, and they found some interesting data points.
One in three Americans said that they would be willing to consider buying an electric vehicle as their next car. While 31% may not seem like a lot, this is huge news for the electric vehicle revolution.
Current data shows that only 7.9% of new vehicle sales are electric. This means that there are a lot of new potential customers that are interested in going all-electric.
Conversely, 36% of respondents said they were “not at all likely” to choose an EV or plug-in electric, and 21% said they were “not too likely.” This means that 57% of Americans still have a ways to go before being won over by the charm of electric cars.
Gas Price Impact
The survey also addressed a few hypothetical examples–the most interesting being this: if gas prices average $6-$8 per gallon, would you consider an EV?
49% of participants said yes. Then, the stakes were raised again. What if gas was $10 a gallon? Now, would you be interested in an EV? The percentage increased to 56%.
This means that 44% of those surveyed would rather pay $10 per gallon of gas than drive an electric car.
Educational Impact
This doesn't seem like a wise choice to me, so what are the educational levels of these Americans? The survey indicated that 47% of those with a college degree will likely choose an EV as their next car. In contrast, out of those with a high school diploma or less, only 18% were interested in an EV. So, educational levels play a huge part in EV choice.
Age does as well because 40% of millennials were open to the idea of buying an EV, while only 22% of Baby Boomers said the same.
Why are so many Americans still hesitant to buy an electric vehicle? There's a lot of factors at play here, but my guess is that the general public needs a bit more time before they will put their trust in the electric vehicle revolution.
Until then, we can continue to improve their technology, make them more affordable, and begin to bridge the gap for hesitant consumers.