Electric car sales have been going down, and people in the car industry are wondering if customers don’t want electric cars anymore. Since last year, fewer people are buying electric cars because they’re looking for cheaper options. A new study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) shows that most Americans are “unlikely or very unlikely” to buy an electric car.
So why don’t people want electric cars? The study says the main reasons are that they cost more, people worry about how far they can drive on one charge, and there aren’t enough places to charge them. Three out of ten people also said they wouldn’t buy an electric car if they couldn’t put a charger where they live. Sixty-three percent of people in the study said they probably won’t buy an electric car. That’s more than in 2023 (53%) and 2022 (51%), so it seems like fewer people want electric cars now than they did before.
There aren’t as many people who are undecided anymore. In 2022 and 2023, 24% of people were undecided. Now, only 19% of people are undecided. This is a big change and shows that things need to get better for more people to start buying electric cars. Only 18% of people said they would probably buy an electric car. This isn’t good news for car companies that have spent a lot of money making electric cars.
Some people say electric cars are good for families with more than one car where they won’t use it all the time. But they’re not good for people with only one car, people who drive far, or people who can’t charge them easily at home. When electric cars get cheaper, more people will be able to buy them. The Tesla Model Y, for example, costs $44,990, which is too much money for many people. Better batteries will also make electric cars cheaper and let them drive farther and charge faster.
“Most people who wanted an electric car already bought one. Other people who haven’t bought one yet are thinking about how much it costs, if it’s easy to use, and what it’s like to own one. These things are stopping them from buying an electric car.”
– Greg Brannon, AAA director of automotive research.
People are buying hybrid cars instead of electric cars. These cars use both gas and electricity. Right now, hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are better for most people. They cost less than electric cars and use less gas. They also have a gas engine, so people aren’t worried about how far they can drive.
According to the AAA, 31% of adults in the US would probably buy a hybrid car. They like hybrids because:
– They’re better for driving far (75%)
– They don’t need to charge them in public (74%)
– They’re not worried about running out of power (65%)
Because more people are buying hybrids instead of electric cars, car companies are changing how they make electric cars. Volkswagen is spending a lot of money to keep making gas engines. Mercedes-Benz and General Motors said they would have all-electric cars soon, but now they’re also going to make more hybrids and PHEVs.
How the Survey Was Done
This study is just one way to learn what people think. The study was done between April 4 and 8, 2024. People were chosen to answer the survey in a fair way. The people who answered the survey were picked to show what most people in the US think. The survey asked 1,152 people who are 18 years old or older. The survey could be wrong by 4%, which is a normal amount for a survey.
