Americans remain resistant to the lure of electric vehicles, which are still unaffordable

The Chevrolet Bolt EUV is one of the cheapest electric vehicles on sale, starting at $27,200. Jonathan Gitlin </figure><p>You may have noticed that our automotive coverage is rather heavily geared towards electrified vehicles. This is partly in recognition of the fact that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are now much higher than at any time since humans have walked the planet. But as I drive more and more EVs, it's also clear that they're actually better in just about every metric one can choose except for energy density and charging time. . But that view puts me in a minority of Americans, according to a new survey of Americans, Canadians and Australians.</p> <p>The survey was conducted by Consider the Market, an Australian insurance comparison site, which found that only 33.8% of Americans said they would prefer an electric vehicle over a traditional one. By contrast, more than half (52.9%) say they want to stick with petrol or diesel, a figure that rises to 70% in the 55-64 age bracket. Meanwhile, 43% of 18-24 year olds would prefer an electric vehicle.</p> <p>Which is unfortunate, because very few people in this age bracket can afford it. In fact, purchase price ranked second among barriers to EV adoption, at 54.5%. (The biggest barrier to adoption was battery life and replacement costs, with 56.4% of survey respondents, which as we've explained before is more of an issue of perception than reality.)</p> <p>When the data is broken down by price brackets, the problem becomes clear. Just under a third (32.5%) say they are willing to spend $24,999 or less on a new EV, putting them out of the market altogether, given that the Chevrolet Bolt is the cheapest EV on sale and still costs $25,600. Another 20.9% won't top $34,999, which reigns in the Bolt EUV ($27,200), Nissan Leaf ($28,895), Mazda MX-30 ($34,695), Hyundai Kona Electric ($34,845), and if we rig it a bit, the Mini Cooper SE ($35,075).</p> <p>In fact, only 15.8% of respondents said they would spend more than $65,000 on a new electric vehicle. Luckily, most of the new EVs Ars has driven recently are north of that price, and they're all great vehicles.</p> <p>Australia and Canada seem much more favorable to EVs, at least in terms of perception: 50.8% of Australians and 51.4% of Canadians say they prefer an EV to an internal combustion engine vehicle . But the obstacles to adoption remain quite similar; purchase price was the most common barrier in Australia (66.6%) and Canada (60.5%).</p> <p>I'm also not sure there's much to be optimistic about here. GM will add an electric Equinox to its lineup next year at

  Technology   Nov 23, 2022   0   68  Add to Reading List
Americans remain resistant to the lure of electric vehicles, which are still unaffordable
The Chevrolet Bolt EUV is one of the cheapest electric vehicles on sale, starting at $27,200. Jonathan Gitlin </figure><p>You may have noticed that our automotive coverage is rather heavily geared towards electrified vehicles. This is partly in recognition of the fact that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are now much higher than at any time since humans have walked the planet. But as I drive more and more EVs, it's also clear that they're actually better in just about every metric one can choose except for energy density and charging time. . But that view puts me in a minority of Americans, according to a new survey of Americans, Canadians and Australians.</p> <p>The survey was conducted by Consider the Market, an Australian insurance comparison site, which found that only 33.8% of Americans said they would prefer an electric vehicle over a traditional one. By contrast, more than half (52.9%) say they want to stick with petrol or diesel, a figure that rises to 70% in the 55-64 age bracket. Meanwhile, 43% of 18-24 year olds would prefer an electric vehicle.</p> <p>Which is unfortunate, because very few people in this age bracket can afford it. In fact, purchase price ranked second among barriers to EV adoption, at 54.5%. (The biggest barrier to adoption was battery life and replacement costs, with 56.4% of survey respondents, which as we've explained before is more of an issue of perception than reality.)</p> <p>When the data is broken down by price brackets, the problem becomes clear. Just under a third (32.5%) say they are willing to spend $24,999 or less on a new EV, putting them out of the market altogether, given that the Chevrolet Bolt is the cheapest EV on sale and still costs $25,600. Another 20.9% won't top $34,999, which reigns in the Bolt EUV ($27,200), Nissan Leaf ($28,895), Mazda MX-30 ($34,695), Hyundai Kona Electric ($34,845), and if we rig it a bit, the Mini Cooper SE ($35,075).</p> <p>In fact, only 15.8% of respondents said they would spend more than $65,000 on a new electric vehicle. Luckily, most of the new EVs Ars has driven recently are north of that price, and they're all great vehicles.</p> <p>Australia and Canada seem much more favorable to EVs, at least in terms of perception: 50.8% of Australians and 51.4% of Canadians say they prefer an EV to an internal combustion engine vehicle . But the obstacles to adoption remain quite similar; purchase price was the most common barrier in Australia (66.6%) and Canada (60.5%).</p> <p>I'm also not sure there's much to be optimistic about here. GM will add an electric Equinox to its lineup next year at

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