There’s good news for automakers planning to go electric as a study from J.D. Power has found consumers are more willing to consider purchasing an EV.
According to the latest U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration Study, 24% of Americans are now “very likely” to consider an EV when they purchase or lease their next vehicle. That’s up 4% from a year ago and J.D. Power attributes the increase to a variety of factors including the introduction of new models such as pickups.
As J.D. Power’s senior director of automotive retail, Stewart Stropp, explained, “The addition of new EV models has moved the needle on consumer consideration.” He also noted that “several new models from perennial mass market brands are at the top of that consideration list.”
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While that’s good news for a handful of automakers, it appears consumers have strong feelings about EVs. While 24% of them are “very likely” to consider getting an EV, nearly 76% of new-vehicle shoppers say they are “not very likely” to consider buying one. This seems to suggest there isn’t much middle ground as people seem to be either very open to EVs or very against them.
Unsurprisingly, charging plays a big factor in consumer acceptance of EVs. A whopping 34% of people who said they were unlikely to consider purchasing an electric vehicle said they lacked access to charging at home or work. Furthermore, only 17% of renters were “very likely” to consider getting an EV as opposed to 27% of homeowners. While homeowners tend to be more affluent and can better afford the higher prices of electric vehicles, they can also charge them at home relatively easily.
It appears one of the best ways to boost consideration is exposing consumers to electric vehicles. While only 11% of respondents with no personal experience with EVs said they were “very likely” to consider buying one, that number jumped to 24% among those who have been a passenger in an EV. That number increases to 34% among those who have already driven an electric vehicle.
Interestingly, EV owners aren’t completely sold on electric vehicles as only 48% said they were “very likely” to consider another EV for their next purchase. The study also found that premium vehicle owners were more likely to consider an EV for their next purchase. However, “very likely” consideration jumped 6% for mainstream brands compared to a year ago.
H/T to The Detroit Bureau
