PROVIDENCE – A new AAA Northeast survey reveals that 54% of drivers feel safer in gas-powered cars than electric vehicles, with other barriers to EV adoption being road trip logistics, cost and home charging.
Only 4% of drivers plan to purchase a fully electric vehicle next, while 62% do not intend to buy one. Interest ranges from slightly interested (10%) to very interested (13%). However, 98% of current EV owners said they intend to buy another EV.
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Jillian Young, AAA Northeast’s director of public relations, said the ending of federal tax incentives for electric vehicles has made the market less favorable for these vehicles.
“But the biggest challenge for manufacturers continues to be consumer sentiment,” she said.
The survey included 1,056 AAA Northeast members over the age of 18 from states with a high EV market share, such as Connecticut and Rhode Island, which has awarded 829 DRIVE EV rebates year to date.
The survey found that fire risk is the primary safety concern among those preferring gas cars (63%), followed by the short time EVs have been on the market (40%) and crash safety (32%).
The main barriers to EV adoption include home charging (53%), road trip suitability (51%) and cost (51%).
Additionally, among those unwilling to buy an EV, 43% said they “just don’t like” electric vehicles. Even with improved cost and charging options, 57% of those surveyed said they don’t plan to switch to an electric vehicle.
“Car buyers generally believe that EVs can handle their daily commute – they just want to feel as confident about their occasional road trip,” Young said.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
