Many people are open to the possibility of buying an electric vehicle. However, the road to wider adoption has quite a few deep potholes, including price and, above all, practicality.
That’s according to a pair of recent polls, as well as extensive feedback from car owners given to the Washington Examiner.
Just over 40% of drivers said they would be “somewhat likely” to purchase an EV the next time they go car shopping, according to a poll released April 10 by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll released on March 21 found less support, but it was still in the same ballpark, with 34% of respondents saying they were open to EVs.
“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,” Jennifer Benz, deputy director of the Associated Press-NORC Center, said in a statement.
She added, “Policies that alleviate these concerns will be a key component of building support for an EV future.”
The Biden administration is bullish on EVs, to the point of trying to tip the scales against cars with internal combustion engines, with billions going to build out charging infrastructure and the Environmental Protection Agency issuing greenhouse gas emissions standards that would force automakers to build more EVs. Also, certain states have announced plans to ban the sale of gas-powered cars in the next decade or so.
Drivers are not yet sold on this transition, however.