Kelley Blue Book unveiled the results of their study made with 219 car shoppers to gauge consumer attitudes on electric vehicles (EV), showing that only 7 percent of American car shoppers are considering to get this type of technology for their next purchase or lease. The respondents also expect a lot from electric vehicles, anticipating them to get in average 547 kilometres of range.
According to the study, 87 percent of respondents are concerned with the drivable range of EV's while 84 percent were worried with the availability of charging stations. Those concerns are directly linked to the fact that 78 percent of car shoppers would use their EV daily or commuter vehicle, placing distance and recharging needs on top of the list of concerns.
When asked about their interest into electric vehicles, less than half of respondents (45 percent) said that they were interested. The primary reason of interest for EV's was the reduction in reliance on foreign oil (85 percent), while reduction in pollution and vehicle emissions tied for second place at 83 percent. Finally, only 37 percent of those interested in those cars said they were attracted in electric vehicle technology due to potential tax credits. However, 91 percent of all respondents feel that electric vehicles are expensive, and 43 percent expect that electric vehicles will not retain their value as well as conventional gas cars.
The results show that the best known vehicles are, in order, the Chevrolet Volt, followed by the Toyota Prius plug-in Hybrid, while the Ford Escape plug-in Hybrid took third place. Surprisingly, the Nissan LEAF took fourth place.
When shown pictures of electric vehicles that are currently or soon-to-be available for purchase/lease in the United States, 44 percent of respondents said they would consider purchasing or definitely purchase the Chevrolet Volt, with the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid coming in close second (43 percent), the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid ranked third (42 percent), the Ford Focus Electric reported in fourth (39 percent), and the Nissan LEAF finishing in fifth (34 percent).
According to the study, 87 percent of respondents are concerned with the drivable range of EV's while 84 percent were worried with the availability of charging stations. Those concerns are directly linked to the fact that 78 percent of car shoppers would use their EV daily or commuter vehicle, placing distance and recharging needs on top of the list of concerns.
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| Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
When asked about their interest into electric vehicles, less than half of respondents (45 percent) said that they were interested. The primary reason of interest for EV's was the reduction in reliance on foreign oil (85 percent), while reduction in pollution and vehicle emissions tied for second place at 83 percent. Finally, only 37 percent of those interested in those cars said they were attracted in electric vehicle technology due to potential tax credits. However, 91 percent of all respondents feel that electric vehicles are expensive, and 43 percent expect that electric vehicles will not retain their value as well as conventional gas cars.
The results show that the best known vehicles are, in order, the Chevrolet Volt, followed by the Toyota Prius plug-in Hybrid, while the Ford Escape plug-in Hybrid took third place. Surprisingly, the Nissan LEAF took fourth place.
When shown pictures of electric vehicles that are currently or soon-to-be available for purchase/lease in the United States, 44 percent of respondents said they would consider purchasing or definitely purchase the Chevrolet Volt, with the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid coming in close second (43 percent), the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid ranked third (42 percent), the Ford Focus Electric reported in fourth (39 percent), and the Nissan LEAF finishing in fifth (34 percent).