On this most partisan of days, amid the endless negative campaign ads, with Americans desperate to put a divisive election season behind them, we have good news: One thing may be growing a little less partisan.
A new study from research firm AutoPacific finds that “political identity is still a factor in electric vehicle (EV) ownership, but it may be becoming less of a factor for future EV acceptance.”
Related: Study Finds Most EV Skeptics Will Consider One In 3-5 Years
AutoPacific researchers surveyed “over 12,000 EV owners, acceptors and rejectors” in June to gauge “consumer sentiment regarding EVs, from ownership reasons to rejection reasons, including the role of cost, charging, the environment, and politics.”
Current Owners More Partisan…
The researchers found a distinct slant among EV drivers today, reporting that “54% of current EV owners and 60% of current PHEV owners identify themselves as Democrat compared to 30% of EV owners and 26% of [plug-in hybrid] PHEV owners identifying as Republican.”
Related: Car Dealers Pessimistic As Election Nears
PHEVs function like electric cars for short trips and gasoline-electric hybrids for longer trips.
…But Future Owners Less So
Related: Americans Bought A Record Number Of EVs In Q3
Shoppers who intend to buy an EV or are considering one for their next car proved less skewed. “Less than half (46%) of respondents who intend to purchase an EV or will consider purchasing one in the future identify as Democrat, 28% are Republican, and 24% are Independent or third party,” AutoPacific says.
EVs Less a Partisan Symbol
Electric cars are growing less potent as a political signal, the researchers found. “just 8% of respondents who will not consider acquiring an EV in the future say it’s because ‘EVs are not aligned with my political beliefs,’ compared to 10% of EV Rejectors in last year’s study.”
