Fifty-four percent of Americans who do not currently own an electric vehicle are interested in purchasing one in the future. However, 64 percent cite the purchase price as a significant barrier to ownership, according to the latest survey from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that studies Americans’ energy-related behaviors, interests and values.
The “Electric Vehicles: Exploring Consumers’ Cost Concerns” survey -- the fourth installment in SECC’s Smart Energy Snapshot Series -- was fielded to a nationally representative sample of 1,539 respondents in late March.
The new survey explores the cost barriers that consumers may face in the shift to electric transportation and how affordability impacts consumers’ willingness to move away from gas-powered vehicles.
Beyond the purchase price, consumers also have concerns about the cost of installing an EV charger at home (55 percent), unexpected battery costs (48 percent), the cost of electricity (42 percent) and maintenance costs (38 percent).
When asked to select a single cost barrier that was the most impactful, a plurality of consumers (40 percent) cited the purchase price, with unexpected battery costs a distant second at 14 percent.
An infographic highlighting the key figures from the “Electric Vehicles: Exploring Consumers’ Cost Concerns” survey can be viewed here.
In addition, SECC will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, May 15 at 1 p.m. (ET) on the key findings of this survey with guest speakers from Texas public power utility Austin Energy, Massachusetts public power utility SELCO and Washington State’s Puget Sound Energy.
