Americans still not sold on EVs despite Biden push, poll shows
President Biden has made the push for broader adoption of electric vehicles a key pillar of his agenda to fight climate change since he entered the White House, but the latest data shows a major chunk of Americans still have no intention of buying an EV in the near future.
A poll released Tuesday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago found nearly half of Americans (47%) said they are not likely to purchase an EV for their next vehicle.
Only 19% of respondents said they were either "very" or "extremely" likely to buy an EV for their next car purchase, and another 22% said they were "somewhat likely" to do so.
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Despite hefty tax incentives for purchasing all-electric cars, a majority of U.S. adults — 6 in 10 — of those surveyed cited high prices as the major reason they would not buy an EV, and some 25% cited cost as a minor reason.
The AP noted that the average price of a new EV is out of reach for many Americans' budgets at $58,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, while the average vehicle sold in the U.S. is under $46,000.
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Seventy-five percent of those surveyed in the poll cited too few charging stations as a reason they would not purchase an EV, and 70% said EVs take too long to charge. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they prefer gas-powered cars.
The Biden administration’s new emissions rules effectively require that nearly all vehicles must be EVs by 2032, and the AP poll indicates consumers will take a lot more convincing for enough to be willing to buy those vehicles.
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Only 8% of U.S. adults surveyed said that they or someone in their household owns or leases an EV.