On April 11th, a latest survey showed that nearly half of Americans still do not consider electric vehicles as their primary purchase option, with reasons being the lack of charging infrastructure and high prices.
The survey conducted by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 47% of American adults said they were unlikely to buy an electric vehicle as their next car. Only 19% of respondents said they were “likely” or “very likely” to buy an electric vehicle.
The survey found that nearly 80% of the public said the lack of charging infrastructure was the main reason they were unwilling to buy electric vehicles, a concern that is widespread among residents of urban, suburban and remote rural areas in the United States.
Jennifer Benz, deputy director of the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, said in a statement, “Although people are interested in electric vehicles, the high upfront costs of owning an electric vehicle and concerns about the U.S. charging infrastructure affect more people driving electric vehicles.” “Implementing corresponding policies to alleviate concerns will be a key component of supporting the development of the future electric vehicle industry.”
As the survey results were released, the U.S. government is vigorously promoting electric vehicle sales and pushing for a transition to clean energy across the country. The U.S. government has set targets for reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change, requiring electric vehicles to account for half of all listed sales of cars by 2030.
In February of this year, the U.S. government said it hoped to deploy 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations on U.S. roads by 2030 and announced a series of measures to support companies such as Tesla, General Motors, Ford, and ChargePoint in building and operating charging networks.
At the same time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to announce significant restrictions on tailpipe emissions this Wednesday, which could make up to 67% of new cars sold in the United States by 2032 pure electric vehicles. This restriction will be the strictest climate regulation in the United States to date and may pose a challenge to traditional car manufacturers.
However, policies to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road may not be welcomed by the American public. The survey found that only 35% of Americans support stricter vehicle emission regulations to encourage automakers to increase electric vehicle sales, and only 27% of Americans support the requirement that all new cars sold by 2035 are electric or hybrid.
To reduce the cost of buying and owning electric vehicles, 49% of Americans support the U.S. government providing tax credits, cash subsidies or other financial incentives for the transition to clean energy, such as the Inflation Reduction Act enacted last year, which set standards for new electric vehicles and consumers who purchase corresponding models are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit. Another 46% of Americans support the government increasing investment in building more electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The survey found that some Americans would choose to buy electric vehicles because of climate change, with 35% of respondents believing that controlling personal carbon emissions is the main way to mitigate climate change, while another 31% believe this is only a minor reason.
The survey also found that about half of Americans consider climate policy to be very important.
In addition, the survey was conducted from January 31 to February 15 this year and involved 5,408 adults across the United States, with a sampling error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.
