A survey of car buyers showed a surprisingly high level of support for electric cars – but also found limited knowledge, which may be putting some buyers off.
The survey weighed in on drivers in the Northeast and was sponsored by five Northeast states. The survey did not directly ask how many respondents planned to buy an electric car, but 50 percent said the motivation to buy is not high enough.
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Seven Northeastern states, all of which follow California's mandate for zero-emission vehicles, have joined together to try to get more buyers to ask for electric cars in their states, and thus get automakers to offer more electric cars for sale there.
Five of these Northeastern states supported this research, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The survey was conducted nationally, but these five states were intentionally over-sampled to give more weight to the opinions of their residents.
While several plug-in cars are available nationwide and many are officially offered in any state that follows California's electric car mandates, few models are actually sold outside of California and Oregon.
The electric car benefits from Drive Change consumer research
In the online survey of 1,002 consumers likely to buy a car in the next year, the survey found that only 43 percent of buyers felt they knew about electric cars, but 73 percent said they were interested in learning more. About 71% would like to see more types of electric cars on the market, such as SUVs and pickups.
More than four-fifths of respondents (82 percent) believe that electric cars are a practical development in technology, while only 10 percent considered electric vehicles an unnecessary luxury in the same question. Another 8 percent were unsure.
The top reason for wanting electric cars, cited by 96 percent of respondents, was saving money, either specifically on fuel (57 percent), or overall (39 percent.) Helping the environment came in second position, also with 39 percent. Tax incentives came in third at 28 percent.
When it came to reasons to avoid buying an electric car, a lack of charging stations was the number one reason, cited by 38 percent of respondents. Charge time and range were almost back at 36 percent and 34 percent, respectively. The Northeast has fewer public charging stations than California, where most electric cars are sold.
High upfront costs would deter 31 percent of buyers from choosing an electric car, and another 24 percent of those planning to buy a new car in the next year said it would be difficult to install a charger where they live.
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More than half of respondents (56 percent) said they were aware of tax incentives, and large minorities were aware of other incentives such as charging, free parking and car lane access.
When it comes to saving money, 63 percent of respondents even believe that electric cars will achieve this, however more than half felt that the incentives are not enough to make them buy an electric car.
The poll was conducted in conjunction with the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management as part of Drive Change, Drive Electric program, along with the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of World Automobile Manufacturers. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.
