The number of car shoppers considering an electric vehicle (EV) is slowly creeping up, according to a new survey from J.D. Power.
A year ago, 24% of car shoppers said they were “very likely” to consider purchasing an EV. This year, 26% said the same. The numbers come from J.D. Power’s U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration Study, which surveyed 8,136 car shoppers between February and May.
Related: America’s Divide on EVs Grows
The number who rate themselves as “overall likely” rose to 61% from 59% last year.
Long Commutes, Familiarity Help
Those who buy the most gas were most likely to consider a gas-free car. Thirty-five percent of drivers with a commute 45 minutes or longer (each way) were very likely to go electric. Just 21% of those with a commute of 15 minutes or less said the same.
Spending time in someone else’s electric car also makes shoppers more likely to consider their own. Just 12% of those who’d never been in one said they were very likely to consider one. Twenty-five percent of people who’d been a passenger in an EV said they were considering one. Among those who had owned or leased an EV before, 80% said the same.
Related: EVs Get The Headlines, but More Americans Shop for Hybrids
Tesla still won a look from more shoppers than any other brand. But “the three most-considered models are all from perennial full-line automakers — not Tesla,” researchers said.
Charging Headaches Hold Many Back
The biggest factor holding back shoppers won’t surprise you. The biggest friction point for consideration is the availability of public chargers, said Stewart Stropp, executive director of EV intelligence at J.D. Power. “The growth in public charging isn’t keeping pace with the rising number of EVs on the road,” Stropp said. “While owners are impressed by what automakers are offering, they’re also thinking about how, when, and where they’ll be able to charge their vehicles away from home. A resounding effort to build out and improve the public charging infrastructure will emphatically increase EV purchase consideration.”
The federal government has made billions of dollars available to help expand fledgling charging networks, but the automotive industry’s scattershot approach to building a nationwide network has limited its spread.
Both Ford and General Motors, in recent weeks, have announced plans to adopt the Tesla charging plug and give owners of their EVs access to Tesla’s more robust charging network.
