WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans still aren’t convinced about going electric for their next car purchase. High prices and lack of easy-to-find charging stations are major sticking points, according to a new survey.
About 4 in 10 American adults say they would be at least somewhat likely to buy an electric vehicle the next time they buy a car, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, while 46% say they are not very likely, if at all, to buy one.
The results of the survey, which echo an AP-NORC poll from last yearCA watch President Joe Biden’s election year plan to dramatically increase electric vehicle sales encounters resistance from American drivers. Only 13% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases a gas-powered hybrid car, and just 9% owns or leases an electric vehicle.
Caleb Jud of Cincinnati said he was considering an electric vehicle, but might end up with a plug-in hybrid — if he goes electric. Even though Cincinnati’s winters aren’t extremely cold, “the idea of getting stuck in the driveway with an electric vehicle that doesn’t work is concerning, and I know that wouldn’t be a problem with a plug-in hybrid,” did he declare. Freezing temperatures can slow chemical reactions in electric vehicle batteries, draining power and reducing range.
A new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency requires about 56% of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2032, along with at least 13% plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars. Automakers are investing billions in factories and battery technology with the aim of accelerating the shift to electric vehicles to reduce pollution, fight climate change – and meet deadlines.
Electric vehicles are a key part of Biden’s climate agenda. The Republicans led by presumptive candidate Donald Trump are making it one a campaign problem.
Younger adults are more willing to purchase an electric vehicle than older adults. More than half of those under 45 say they are at least “somewhat” likely to consider purchasing an electric vehicle. About 32% of those over 45 are likely to buy an electric vehicle, according to the survey.
Caleb Jud, 33, poses for a portrait in his Honda Fit, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
But only 21% of U.S. adults say they are “very” or “extremely” likely to buy an electric vehicle for their next car, according to the poll, and 21% say it’s somewhat likely. Concerns about costs are widespread, as are other practical concerns.
Range anxiety – the idea that electric vehicles can’t go far enough on a single charge and can leave a driver stranded – continues to be a major reason many Americans don’t don’t buy electric vehicles.
About half of U.S. adults cite range concerns as one of the top reasons not to buy an electric vehicle. About 4 in 10 people say a major complaint against electric vehicles is that they take too long to charge or that they don’t know of any public charging stations nearby.
Range concerns are leading some to consider gas-engine hybrids, which allow driving even when the battery is depleted. Jud, a 33-year-old operations specialist and politically independent, said a hybrid vehicle “is more than enough for my errands around town, dropping my son off at school” and other uses.
With electric vehicle prices falling, cost would not be a factor, Jud said – a minority view among those surveyed. Nearly 6 in 10 adults cite cost as one of the main reasons they would not buy an EV.
Price is a major concern among older adults.
The average price of a new electric vehicle was $52,314 in February, according to Kelley Blue Book. That’s down 12.8 percent from the previous year, but still higher than the average price of all new vehicles, which is $47,244, according to the report.
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 costs about $49,000, Valdez said. He thinks it’s worth it.
“People think it costs an arm and a leg, but once they experience driving an electric vehicle, they will have a different mindset,” said Valdez, a maintenance worker at state pension.
The 45-year-old Republican said he doesn’t believe in climate change. “I care more about saving green money,” he said, adding that he liked the quiet operation of the electric vehicle and the fact that he didn’t have to pay for gas or maintenance. Electric vehicles have fewer parts than gasoline cars and generally cost less to maintain. Valdez installed his home charger himself for less than $700 and uses it for the family’s three cars, the Mustang and two older Ford hybrids.
Jose Valdez, 45, owner of three electric vehicles, poses with his Mustang Mach-E, Thursday, May 9, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
With a recently purchased converter, it can also charge at a nearby Tesla charging station, Valdez said.
About half of those who say they live in rural areas cite a lack of charging infrastructure as a major factor in not buying EVs, compared to 4 in 10 people living in urban communities.
Daphne Boyd, of Ocala, Fla., has no interest in owning an electric vehicle. There are few public charging stations near her rural home “and electric vehicles don’t make sense environmentally,” she said, citing the precious metals that must be mined to make batteries, including in some countries that rely on child labor or other hazardous conditions. She also worries that heavy batteries in electric vehicles will increase tire wear and make cars less efficient. Experts say the extra weight of the battery can wear out tires, but proper maintenance and careful driving can extend tire life.
Boyd, a 54-year-old Republican who describes herself as a farmer, said electric vehicles could eventually make economic and environmental sense, but “they’re not where they need to be” to convince her to buy one. one now or in the immediate future. .
Ruth Mitchell, a novelist from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, loves her 2017 Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid that can go about 50 miles on battery power before the gasoline engine takes over. “It’s wonderful: quiet, great pickup, cheap to drive. I talk about it on Facebook,” she said.
Mitchell, a 70-year-old Democrat, charges her car at home but says there are several public charging stations near her home if necessary. She’s not looking for a new car, Mitchell said, but when she does, it will be electric: “I won’t drive anything else.” »
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The AP-NORC poll of 6,265 adults was conducted March 26 through April 10, 2024 using a combined sample of interviews from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population , and opt-in online panel interviews. . The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 1.7 percentage points. The AmeriSpeak panel is randomly recruited using address-based sampling methods, and respondents were then surveyed online or by telephone.