New tax incentives, big investments in infrastructure, and stricter proposed emissions requirements have all been rolled out in the U.S. recent months, all with two goals in mind – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and speeding up EV adoption. Ford plans to take advantage of this by investing $50 billion in EVs as it aims to produce two million annually by 2026, with The Blue Oval also seeking to electrify its entire passenger vehicle lineup in Europe by 2030. However, a handful of recent studies have found that many consumers still have some hesitations when it comes to purchasing an EV, including a new one from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
This new poll was conducted over the first half of February, asking 5,408 U.S. adults a variety of questions related to EVs in general. Among them, 47 percent of those polled said that it’s unlikely they would buy an EV as their next vehicle, while 19 percent said that it’s “very” or “extremely” likely that they will. As for why this is the case, 80 percent of participants pointed to existing charging infrastructure as their reason for being hesitant to purchase an EV, findings that were consistent across those that live in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
In terms of enacting stricter emission rules, just 35 percent of Americans polled support that type of measure, while 27 percent support an ICE vehicle sales ban by 2035. However, 49 percent said that they support tax credits and other financial incentives to help boost EV sales, and 46 percent believe that the government should fund infrastructure improvements.
“While there is plenty of interest in purchasing an electric vehicle, the high upfront cost of owning one and concerns about the country’s charging infrastructure are barriers to more people driving them,” said Jennifer Benz, deputy director of the AP-NORC Center. “Policies that alleviate these concerns will be a key component of building support for an EV future.”
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Comments
Yep, not interested in an EV, at all.
47% are “unlikely” but, in actuality, 90% don’t, which means this poll is cooked and inaccurate.
Would like to see a survey of how many people have tried
BEVs and gone back to a ICE vehicle. Must be more
than a few because there are a number of stories on
YouTube.
Drivers will have electric cars because the government will use their badges and guns to make them.
From your old cold Nordic hands man.
I switched from gas to electricity and I haven´t regret it. I drive a Chevy Volt that allready has 300,000 kms on the odometer and the car has had zero problems and the maintenance has been practically non-existent. I´m looking now for a Tesla Model S or an Audi e-tron GT. Unfortunately I can´t consider Ford as they don´t offer a sedan in their lineup. Some kind of cars that I will definitively not buy becuase I simply don´t like them, are SUV´s or crossovers.
Over a hundred years ago people were sitting around having a similar debate about which is better – a horse or a model T. The model T/ice won. While EVs may not be for everyone or fill every need they will probably work for the way a majority of people use their vehicles. The earth does not have an inexhaustible supply of oil. Manufacturers are investing billions in EV development for a reason. They know where this is going and they’re trying to stay one or two steps ahead of it. Unfortunately, people’s attitudes about EVs get jaded because it ends up being part of political debate. Leave the politics out of it.
We have 1000’s of years of oil left and NO infrastructure for EV cars.
Dave seems to live in a vacuum.
It may be affecting his brain.
Yes, the Model T/I.C.E. “won”, but I’m pretty sure it was because the market wanted it, not because of the use of government mandates and force. Or as The Retired Viking says above, with guns and badges. Let the market decide! I’m a stick-shift driving gear head, and I’ll get an electric vehicle when I, the consumer, decide it’s right for me.
People actually thought the car was environmentally friendly. No manure clogging up the city streets.
Polls are so dependent on things like design of the sample, how questions are worded, length, skill of the interviewer, etc. A different poll last month showed that 2/3 of Americans have no interest in buying an EV. The only poll that counts is the sales reports.
How are they going to get road tax to help keep are roads up with EV’s?? Also keep the government out of it, they only get in our pockets deeper.
When gas sales go down where will the government make up the lost taxes?
They’ve gonna tax DD’s stash.
Cost is a concern for me, plus I don’t real like if I run out of juice and can’t find a plug ? I’m not sure if state rest area have outlets, then vehicles will line up and wait, have you seen the federal weigh stations, to me government must give us a choice!! Plus I pay too much taxes all my life for the mandate, Americans must wait up!!!
EV’s are simply a 30 year solution to the problem. By the end of that time frame we will have basically strip mined much of the earth for the minerals required for battery production. We will see how happy the environmental folks are then. Long term solution is some sort of zero emissions combustion. Electricity simply cannot produce the same amount of energy as combustion. If you think not, show me a battery powered 747.
Combustion leads to carbon release, which is the other environmental problem.
Such a strawman stuffed with hyperbolic jabberwocky is not worth refutation.
So let’s see if everyone runs out to buy a ev now with limited supply of materials for batteries the prices will soar and the average person won’t be able to afford one so if that’s the goal why not
I can’t afford them now! But the elite government overlords think everyone must comply. They have no clue of the economic challenges the average citizen faces.
LoL. Prices actually dropped recently. They’re likely to go back up as demand is chasing production but as more production comes on line and competition kicks in these prices will drop.
Stop looking at the present as something that is locked in forever.
Yeah I can’t afford one either I’m just going to copy cuba and drive my next ice car till it falls apart I got 20 years out of my ranger and it’s still going strong
Also, talk EV owners with a minor fender bender that would cost $1000 in an IC vehicle that has turned into a $10000 to $15000 bill due to battery damage and required replacement.
Minor fender benders dont harm the battery.
The Mach e gt is a fun weekend car just like my 1967 mustang which cost the same.It’s not a everyday car. Have fun.
Except the government wants to mandate that these become our daily drivers. They’re not being marketed or pushed as fun weekend cars.
Because they are daily drivers. Dave I’d trying to skew perception by claiming they are great but not as prime movers. His colleagues from k-street were formerly referring to these as a great 3rd car for getting groceries. It’s an imbecile’s attempt at clever concept but it’s a rhetorical flop.
There is a lot more contributing to EV reluctance than range and infrastructure (charging stations). Notwithstanding, where do people owning condos, coops or renting, charge their EVs. My reservations:
1. Don’t tell an American what they can and cannot purchase (gas cars, gas stoves, certain washining machines, etc. etc.)
2. Don’t lie and tell us EVs save the planet. What is the mining doing to the earth and how much carbon is emitted by diesel escavators and transporters? What will we do with these huge spent lithium batteries? How much fossil fuel will the electric grid consume to provide enough electricity for all the EVs. How many brown outs will we experience? So we don’t burn gas driving the car, but we burn it providing the energy/fuel for the EVs. Brilliant, that’s saving the planet! Try running the grid on wind and solar! Not to mention windmills kill our birds and our fish and are extremely expensive to maintain, and solar panels on your roof need to be cleaned, but I digress.
3. How quickly will my EV depreciate if a spent battery costs $20,000 to $30,000 to replace. You might as well send the EV to the crusher.
4. I am not parking an explosive in my garage. Convince me my EV will not spontaneously combust and burn down my home and my other classic ICE vehicles in my garage.
5. I am not comfortable sitting on a 75 to 100 Kilowatt battery.
6. I am not comfortable enriching rival nations and depending on them for an item as critical as the car is in America. I also have a problem with child labor they use to mine the minerals to build EVs, that by the way, are in shorter supply than crude oil.
7. When the government has to mandate something, it can’t win in the market on its own merits. The government is squashing American ingenuity. We have the best and the brightest being silenced by an unrealistic mandate propping up a “one size fits all” solution. Fuel Cell is another great technology. It will be a lot quicker to fill up with hydrogen than to charge an EV battery, but for some reason, the government has little interest in funding hydrogen fueling stations. Let technologies compete and the market will declare the winner.
So much contarditry in this list it’s almost like a parody consolidating the most stupid talking points from the K-street crowd. Because maybe it is because comes from our old bad faith friend DDOS Joe.
Anyhow his points have all been debunked numerous times in depth and are not worthy of serious refutation.
If one chooses to believe them, well, then you have been captured by contardism.
The biggest issue with the EV push is the lack of a halfway step. PHEVs offer the flexibility of use of an ICE, the benefits of an EV, at a lower cost due to a smaller battery. If we truly wanted to drive adoption of EV vehicles, we would be pushing to have everything offer a PHEV version.
But it isn’t about that, its about the elite of the world making money off investing in lithium batteries.