Survey says consumers avoid electric cars due to three myths: range, price, charging

Mobilku.com - Report of a new survey in the US showing consumer attitudes on electric cars has been released. Consumers were asked what their biggest reasons were for not buying an EV, and the answers were pretty much what we expected. The top three reasons given were range, price, and charging.

Almost half (40%+) of respondents were concerned about each of these issues, even though modern 250-mile range EVs are available new for under $30k post-incentive and are capable of 50-250 kW charging rates on thousands of chargers installed across the US.

In the EV community, “range anxiety” is something that is pretty much exclusive to people who don’t drive EVs. People are often concerned about range before they get an EV, but once they get used to the car, they realize it’s really not a concern at all. For the most part, it’s just more convenient to have a car you can fuel at home.

Despite “too expensive” being the second most common reason that consumers wouldn’t buy an EV, respondents also stated that price would be their largest priority in deciding which EV to buy. They don’t realize that over 200 miles of range is more than enough for all but the most exceptional circumstances. They don’t realize how cheap EVs are once incentives and running costs are taken into account.

When asked about federal, state, and local incentives for EV adoption, a vast majority (69%) supported these perks, whereas only 16% opposed them. Another positive insight is that a majority of respondents (55%) said they would use an EV as the primary vehicle in their home. Previously, many consumers thought an EV would only be useful as a secondary vehicle prior to purchase. After purchase, it often becomes the household’s primary vehicle, due to superior driving experience, convenience, and low cost of home charging.