NEW YORK, N.Y. – Low gas prices have helped to stall sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, but a new survey has nevertheless found that nearly half of all consumers say they will look at alternative power vehicles the next time they are car shopping, although the enthusiasm for certain vehicles has waned.
Through July of this year, nearly 290,000 vehicles with a battery generating at least some of their momentum have been sold in the U.S., including nearly 120,000 plug-in models. That is just 3% of all vehicle sales, however, a figure that has been flat since 2012.
A new Harris Poll reveals that just under half of American car owners (or anticipated owners) say they’d consider a traditional hybrid the next time they’re in the market for a new vehicle (48%, identical to 2013 findings); lower consideration levels were recorded for plug-in vehicles, whether they be hybrids (29%, up two percentage points) or pure electrics (21%, also up two points). An additional two in 10 would consider a diesel (19%, up three points), while 35% would consider a smaller or gas powered vehicle to save on operating costs (down three points).
Other findings in the Harris Poll:
- Millennial drivers are more likely than their elder counterparts to consider a traditional hybrid, with 57% saying they’d consider one (vs. 49% of Gen Xers, 43% of Baby Boomers and 38% of Matures). This same trend holds true for plug-in hybrids (39% vs. 28%, 22% and 23%) and pure electrics (34% vs. 17%, 14% and 11%), as well as for diesel vehicles (27% vs. 16%, 17% and 9%).
- Men are more likely than women to consider an electric vehicle (25% men, 17% women) and more than twice as likely to indicate that they’d consider a diesel (28% men, 11% women).
- Distance drivers – those who travel over 50 miles in an average day – are especially likely to say they’d consider a plug-in hybrid (38% vs. 28% of those traveling 30 miles or less in a typical day), a pure electric (32% vs. 18%) or a diesel (28% vs. 17%).
- Democrats and Independents are more likely than Republicans to consider a traditional hybrid (53% Dem., 52% Ind. and 42% Rep.), a plug-in hybrid (34%, 32% and 20%) or a pure electric (26%, 25% and 10%).
The poll also found barriers when considering an electric vehicle.
When asked to select their top concerns related to pure electric vehicles, price (67%) and range (64%) rise to the top, followed by repair/maintenance costs (58%), reliability (53%), performance/power (50%) and the fact that it’s still new technology (42%).
Those surveyed were asked, “Today, many vehicles offer several ways of spending less on operating your vehicle, from more efficient engines to electric powertrains. Which of the following types of vehicles would you consider the next time you are in the market for a new vehicle? Please choose any that you would consider.”
The results appear below.