Posted on 04/09/2024 8:22:08 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The future for electric vehicles is looking bleaker than ever.
According to a Gallup poll published this week, the number of Americans who own an electric vehicle has indeed increased in the last year.
However, the number of those interested in buying one is on the decline despite efforts from the federal government to transition the entire automobile market within the next decade.
Seven percent of Americans, up from 4% a year ago, report that they own an electric vehicle. That increase is matched by an equal decline in the percentage saying they are seriously considering buying one, from 12% to 9%.
Meanwhile, fewer Americans -- 35%, down from 43% in 2023 -- say they might consider buying an EV in the future. Thus, even as some people have moved ahead with their intent to buy an EV in the past year, public demand for the cars has contracted.
Overall, less than half of adults, 44%, now say they are either seriously considering or might consider buying an EV in the future, down from 55% in 2023, while the proportion not intending to buy one has increased from 41% to 48%.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the poll also found that Republicans and conservatives are the least likely to purchase EVs:
Those on the political left -- Democrats and liberals -- are more likely than those on the right (Republicans and conservatives) to be in the EV market. Twenty-seven percent of liberals own or are considering an EV, higher than for any other subgroup.
Meanwhile, the 7% market among conservatives essentially ties with senior citizens as the lowest among subgroups. Conservatives and Republicans are the two groups with the highest percentages saying they wouldn’t consider an EV.
EVs are also far more popular among wealthier Americans, underscoring the fact that they are generally unaffordable for people struggling in the Biden economy:
Upper-income Americans are the subgroup most likely to own an EV, with 14% doing so, up from 6% last year. This relationship may reflect the much higher purchase price of EVs compared with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.
Another 11% of upper-income Americans are seriously considering buying an EV. The combined 25% compares with 14% of middle-income and 9% of lower-income Americans who own or are seriously considering buying an EV.
...Sixty-one percent of lower-income Americans say they would not buy an EV, up 18 percentage points from 43% in 2023, the biggest increase among major subgroups. In general, most subgroups show higher percentages now than a year ago saying they would not buy an electric vehicle.
Such findings underscore the growing crisis facing the EV industry, with many companies, including the likes of Mercedes and General Motors, cutting back on their production targets and laying off hundreds of workers.
This crisis is the result of various factors, including high production and maintenance costs, increased competition from China, and skepticism about the environmental benefits so aggressively touted by their advocates.
In February, The New York Times reported that even the Biden administration was giving up on many of its EV production targets as part of a “concession” to automakers and labor unions.
The back door plan to eliminate private transportation and force a move to public transportation where movement can be tracked, controlled, and restricted rolls forward without the plebs being any the wiser. Soon they will be forced onto buses and trains and the next part of the plan implementing a social credit score and tying it to the privilege of travel and where you must present your environmental score as well justifying your use of carbon emissions before using public transportation.
If electric cars are the future why did not the Citicar of 1975 take off like a rocket? I saw plenty of them on car lots on Memorial Street in Tulsa OK back in 1975. None ever seen on the street.
EVs are at best a niche market. If you live in an urban area with abundant places to recharge and use your EV for daily commuting and running errands it could work well. However even in this limited use there are issues. Ideally you need a Level 2 home charger which is expensive to install ($3,000+ in this area) and may require an upgrade of your electrical service. If you live in an area where winters can have below zero temperatures for extended periods of time you could find your EV battery frozen or be stuck in freezing temperatures waiting for hours at a charging station as was demonstrated this past winter in the Chicago area.
Making a road trip in an EV requires meticulous planning for recharging stops. Spontaneous side trips or travel in remote areas might not be possible. A family of four traveling with luggage, using the AC and recharging multiple electronic devices might drastically limit the practical range and require more frequent recharging stops. Recharge times vary greatly depending on the type of charger and if you need to wait in line. Recharging stations may not have convenient amenities, such as restrooms or food like you would find at most gas stations.
Hybrid vehicle might be a better choice offering better gas mileage and none of the recharging hassles
I’m particularly not interested in the future until there is one. After all the hard work has taken place and what is offered is available and viable as a commercial product. EV’s included. We have and enjoy the world of the Infernal Combustion engine era. I am aware of where alternative options are in the scheme of things. Viable and available for reasonable cost they are not.
That is one the main problems with EVs. As you mentioned they are metro area commuter cars. Fast charging stations are being added in metro areas and interstate highways between metro areas. Once one gets off a major throughway fast charging is dicey. I use to go on fishing trips to Red Lake Ontario from central Illinois. That trip is currently impossible with an EV.
Thanks for the correction. Still doesn’t make it cost effective.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
