Survey Claims 1 In 5 U.S. Drivers Would Consider An EV As Their Next Car

A study from the AAA (American Automobile Association) reports that 20 per cent of car owners in the United States have said that they would probably opt for an EV when they make their next vehicle purchase, up from 15 per cent in 2017.

The survey revealed that 63 per cent of respondents unsure or unwilling to purchased an electric vehicle for their next automobile don’t believe there are enough places to charge such vehicles. Additionally, 58 per cent expressed concerns over running out of juice while driving. While these figures show that range anxiety remains a major issue, the amount is 15 per cent lower than 2017.

According to the AAA, range anxiety is less of a concern for Millennials (48 percent ) compared to 64 per cent of Gen Xers and 66 per cent of Baby Boomers.

The poll also revealed that only 34 per cent of people who responded are troubled about style, colour, and design of their vehicles, while only 33 per cent are worried about the vehicle’s brand. Of more importance to new car buyers contemplating electric vehicles and vehicles are crash ratings (77 percent ), price (71 percent ), acceleration and handling (69 percent ), and advanced safety technologies (60 percent ).

The AAA study also found that 68 per cent of Americans consider charging times of no longer than 30 minutes to be a reasonable amount of time to await an EV to be topped up. AAA director of Automotive Engineering Greg Brannon believes this is because the majority of drivers are utilised to the fast fill ups appreciated by diesel and petrol vehicles, but notes that EV charging times are quickly coming down.