In the early 2000s there was a stigma to driving one the few hybrids or electric vehicles (EVs) available from Toyota, Honda, Ford and even Tesla. Some were ridiculed as being overly or wrongly focused on the environment.
Hollywood got behind the movement with Ed Begley Jr., Jeff Goldblum and Leonardo DiCaprio driving early hybrid and battery-electric cars. After years of struggling to gain market share, EVs have now become mainstream.
A recent survey by car research, analysis and buying site Autolist found that the stigma of owning an EV is now at the bottom of the list of what buyers are concerned about when purchasing. Buyers are also no longer concerned about not being able to find them at a local dealership nor styling and design.
"Despite the inroads Tesla has made over the years in convincing people that EVs could be aspirational — and despite the more recent push by mainstream luxury brands into EVs — this result shows there are still some people who don't see EVs as desirable or who are wary of the image that they believe comes with owning one," David Undercoffler, editor-in-chief of Autolist told Newsweek.
Autolist's annual Electric Vehicle Survey talked to more than 3,100 current car shoppers and found that their top worries were the same as the past few years including cost, range, and where to charge. However, according to Autolist, those numbers are smaller than last year.
The reason buyers aren't worried about finding EVs locally is that there are just more in circulation than before. New EV inventory is up nearly 205 percent year-over-year, according to CarGurus' data. Not only is the chip shortage easing but there are new models joining the market monthly. Used EV inventory is up too.
One bit of news that's moving all the EV needles is the announcement that Volvo, Rivian, Nissan, Ford, General Motors and Mercedes-Benz have all announced they will adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS), allowing them to use Tesla's Superchargers. Those charging stations have historically been faster, more powerful and more reliable than many of the other networks.
Autolist asked respondents about it and 22 percent said it would make them more likely to buy an EV. About half said it doesn't change the likelihood.
A few other things changed since last year. In 2022 Autolist found that 46 percent of respondents agreed with a statement that said "EVs are better for the environment than gas vehicles." In 2023 that number dropped 38 percent.
"This also ties into America's truck culture. Yes, there are a growing number of electric trucks on the market, but because their towing, payload, and range capabilities still lag behind conventional trucks, there's a perception among die-hard truck fans that the EV models are weaker and less desirable," said Undercoffler.
The study also found more barriers for lower income buyers, of which 46 percent making less than $30,000 said that the upfront costs of EVs are the major hurdle. The survey average was 42 percent. One third of those same buyers said they had no place to charge an EV. The average there was lower too, coming in at 27 percent.
