WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans remain unconvinced about their next electric car purchase. High prices and a lack of easy-to-find charging stations are major bottlenecks, a new poll shows.
About 4 in 10 American adults say they are at least somewhat likely to buy an EV the next time they buy a car, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University’s Energy Policy Institute of New York. Chicago, while 46% say they are not very likely or not at all likely to buy one.
The poll results, which mirror an AP-NORC poll from last year, show that President Joe Biden’s election plan to dramatically increase electric car sales is meeting resistance among American motorists. Only 13% of American adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases a gas hybrid car, and only 9% own or leases an electric vehicle.
Caleb Jud of Cincinnati said he’s considering an electric car, but might get a plug-in hybrid — if he goes electric. While Cincinnati winters are not extremely cold, “the thought of being stuck in the driveway with an electric car that won’t drive is concerning, and I know that wouldn’t be a problem with a plug-in hybrid,” he said. Freezing temperatures can slow chemical reactions in EV batteries, reducing energy and reducing range.
A new Environmental Protection Agency rule requires that by 2032, about 56% of all new car sales must be electric, along with at least 13% plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars. Auto companies are investing billions in factories and battery technology in an effort to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles to cut pollution, fight climate change – and meet the deadline.
EVs are an important part of Biden’s climate agenda. Republicans led by presumptive nominee Donald Trump are making it a campaign issue.
Younger people are more open to eventually purchasing an electric car than older adults. More than half of those under 45 say they are at least ‘somewhat’ likely to consider an EV purchase. The poll shows that about 32% of people over 45 are somewhat likely to buy an electric car.
But according to the poll, only 21% of American adults say they are “very” or “extremely” likely to buy an EV for their next car, and 21% call it somewhat likely. Concerns about costs are widespread, as are other practical concerns.
Range anxiety—the idea that electric cars can’t go far enough on a single charge and could leave a driver stranded—remains a major reason why many Americans don’t buy electric vehicles.
About half of American adults cite range concerns as a major reason for not buying an electric car. About 4 in 10 say a major gripe with electric vehicles is that they take too long to charge, or they don’t know if there are public charging stations nearby.
Concerns about range are leading some to consider gas-engine hybrids, which allow driving even when the battery is dead. Jud, a 33-year-old operations specialist and political independent, said a hybrid is “more than enough for running errands around town, dropping my son off at school” and other purposes.
With EV prices falling, cost would no longer be a factor, Jud said – a minority view among those surveyed. Nearly 6 in 10 adults cite cost as an important reason why they would not buy an electric car.
Price is a bigger issue among older adults.
According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price for a new EV in February was $52,314. That’s down 12.8% from a year earlier, but still higher than the average price for all new vehicles of $47,244, the report said.
Jose Valdez of San Antonio owns three electric vehicles, including a new Mustang Mach-E. With a tax credit and other incentives, the sleek new car cost about $49,000, Valdez said. He thinks it’s definitely worth the money.
“People think it costs an arm and a leg, but once they have experience driving an electric car, they will have a different mindset,” said Valdez, a retired state maintenance worker.
The 45-year-old Republican said he does not believe in climate change. “I think it’s more important to save green dollars,” he said, adding that he likes the EV’s quiet ride and the fact he doesn’t have to pay for gas or maintenance. EVs have fewer parts than gas-powered cars and generally cost less to maintain. Valdez installed his home charger himself for less than $700 and uses it for all three family cars, the Mustang and two older Ford hybrids.
A recently purchased inverter also allows it to charge at a nearby Tesla supercharger station, Valdez said.
About half of those who say they live in rural areas cite the lack of charging infrastructure as a major factor in not buying an electric car, compared to 4 in 10 of those who live in urban communities.
Daphne Boyd, from Ocala, Florida, has no interest in owning an electric car. There are few public chargers near her rural home “and electric cars make no sense for the environment,” she said, citing precious metals that must be mined to make batteries, including in some countries that rely on child labor or other unsafe conditions. She also worries that heavy EV batteries will increase tire wear and make the cars less efficient. Experts say extra battery weight can wear out tires, but say proper maintenance and careful driving can extend tire life.
Boyd, a 54-year-old Republican and self-described farm woman, said electric cars may ultimately make economic and environmental sense, but “they’re not where they need to be” to convince her to buy one now or in the near future. .
Ruth Mitchell, a novelist from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, loves her EV. “It’s great: quiet, great pickup, cheap to run. I’m excited about it on Facebook,” she said.
Mitchell, a 70-year-old Democrat, charges her Chevy Volt hybrid at home, but says there are several public chargers near her home. She’s not looking for a new car, Mitchell said, but if she does, it will be electric: “I don’t drive anything else.”
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The AP-NORC poll of 6,265 adults was conducted from March 26 to April 10, 2024, using a combined sample of interviews from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population, and interviews from opt -in online panels. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.7 percentage points for all respondents. The AmeriSpeak panel is randomly recruited using address-based sampling methods, and respondents are later interviewed online or by telephone.
