Most Americans still not sold on EVs despite push from Biden, poll finds

Many Americans are still not convinced they will go electric on their next car purchase. High prices and a lack of easy-to-find charging stations are the main points of contention, a new survey shows.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they would be at least somewhat likely to buy an EV the next time they buy a car, according to research from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Institute of Energy Policy at the University of Chicago, while 46% say they are not very likely or not at all likely to buy one.

The poll results, which echo an AP-NORC poll from last year, show that President Joe Biden’s election year plan to dramatically increase electric vehicle sales is facing resistance from American drivers. Just 13% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases a gas hybrid car, and just 9% owns or leases an electric vehicle.

Caleb Jud of Cincinnati said he’s considering an EV but may end up with a plug-in hybrid — if it’s electric. While Cincinnati winters aren’t bitterly cold, “the idea of ​​being stuck in the garage with an EV that doesn’t work is concerning, and I know it wouldn’t be a problem with a plug-in hybrid,” he said. Freezing temperatures can slow chemical reactions in electric vehicle batteries, sapping energy and reducing range.

A new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency requires that about 56% of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2032, along with at least 13% plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars. Car companies are investing billions in factories and battery technology in an effort to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles to reduce pollution, combat climate change – and meet the deadline.

EVs are a key part of Biden’s climate agenda. Republicans led by presumptive nominee Donald Trump are turning this into a campaign issue.

Younger people are more open to buying an EV than older adults. More than half of people under 45 say they are at least “somewhat” likely to consider purchasing an EV. About 32% of people over 45 are somewhat likely to buy an EV, research shows.

But just 21% of U.S. adults say they are “very” or “extremely” likely to buy an EV for their next car, according to the poll, and 21% consider it somewhat likely. Cost concerns are widespread, as are other practical concerns.

Range anxiety – the idea that EVs can’t go far enough on a single charge and can leave the driver stranded – remains one of the main reasons many Americans don’t buy electric vehicles.

About half of U.S. adults cite range concerns as the main reason for not purchasing an EV. About 4 in 10 say a big knock against EVs is that they take a long time to charge or they don’t know of any public charging stations nearby.

Concerns about range are leading some to consider hybrids with a gasoline engine, which allow driving even when the battery runs out. Jud, a 33-year-old operations specialist and political independent, said a hybrid “is more than enough for my shopping in town, dropping my son off at school” and other uses.

With EV prices falling, cost would not be a factor, Jud said – a minority opinion among those surveyed. Nearly 6 in 10 adults cite cost as the main reason they wouldn’t buy an EV.

Price is a bigger concern among older adults.

The average price of a new EV was $52,314 in February, according to Kelley Blue Book. That’s down 12.8% from the previous year, but still higher than the average price for all new vehicles of $47,244, the report said.

Jose Valdez of San Antonio owns three EVs, 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 the money.

“People think it costs an arm and a leg, but once they experience (driving) an EV, they will have a different mindset,” said Valdez, a retired public maintenance worker.

Quiet ride, cheaper maintenance

The 45-year-old Republican said he doesn’t believe in climate change. “I care more about saving green dollars,” he said, adding that he loves the EV’s quiet ride and the fact that 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 in all three of the family’s cars, the Mustang and two older Ford hybrids.

With a recently purchased converter, it can also charge at a nearby Tesla Supercharger station, Valdez said.

About half of people who say they live in rural areas cite a lack of charging infrastructure as a major factor in not purchasing an EV, compared to 4 in 10 people who live in urban communities.

Daphne Boyd of Ocala, Florida, has no interest in owning an EV. There are few public chargers near her rural home “and EVs don’t make any environmental sense,” 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 the heavy batteries in electric vehicles will increase tire wear and make the cars less efficient. Experts say the extra weight of the battery can wear out your tires, but they say proper maintenance and careful driving can extend the life of your tires.

Boyd, a 54-year-old Republican and self-described farm wife, said electric vehicles may eventually make economic and environmental sense, but “they’re not where they need to be” to convince her to buy one now or in the immediate future.

Ruth Mitchell, a novelist from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, loves her 2017 Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that can go about 50 miles on battery power before the gas engine takes over. “It’s wonderful – quiet, great pickup, cheap to drive. I praise it on Facebook,” she said.

Mitchell, a 70-year-old Democrat, charges her car at home but says there are several public chargers near her home if needed. 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, which was designed to be representative of the U.S. population, and panel interviews optional online. . 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 subsequently interviewed online or by telephone.