More than half of drivers (54%) feel safer operating a gas-powered car than an electric vehicle, according to a survey from AAA Northeast, while 31% say they’d be fine in either vehicle. Road trip logistics, cost and home charging continue to be barriers to EV adoption, but safety is nearly as large of a concern.
As a result, only 4% say they plan to purchase a fully electric vehicle for their next car, while 62% say they won’t purchase one. The remainder of drivers range from slightly interested (10%), moderately interested (11%) and very interested (13%). So, although EV boosters have their work cut out for them, there’s still reason for optimism. Another positive sign: 98% of EV owners will buy an EV again.
“The ending of federal tax incentives has made the market less favorable for electric vehicles, but the biggest challenge for manufacturers continues to be consumer sentiment,” said Alec Slatky, managing director of public and government affairs, AAA Northeast. “The good news for the industry is that the vast majority of electric vehicle owners have no intention of going back to gasoline cars.”
The 1,056 survey respondents consisted of a random sample of AAA Northeast members aged 18+. AAA Northeast covers a region of the country with an above-average market share of electric vehicles, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. There were 67,656 EVs registered in Connecticut as of July 1, according to DMV data, an increase of 15,000 vehicles from the year prior. At the start of this year, there were over 139,000 EVs registered in Massachusetts, according to state data, an increase of 35,000 from the year prior. In New Jersey, EVs accounted for 11.4% of new light-duty registrations year to date through July 22, according to the EValuateNJ dashboard. In New York, EVs accounted for 8.9% of new registrations year to date through Nov. 7, according to the EValuateNY dashboard. In Rhode Island, the DRIVE EV rebate program has awarded 829 rebates year to date through October.
Other findings of the survey include:
- Fire is the biggest safety concern, followed by EV’s relatively short time on the market: Among respondents who said they would feel safer operating a gas-powered car than an electric car, 63% said that risk of fire was one of their top safety concerns, followed by EV’s time on the market (40%), crash safety concerns (32%) and lack of experience driving an EV (22%). There is no evidence that EVs are more likely to catch fire than internal combustion engine vehicles, but when fires occur, they are more difficult for first responders to extinguish and generally burn longer. EVs are also similar to gasoline cars for crash test safety; as with other types of vehicles, crash test ratings are more vehicle-specific than engine-specific.
- The biggest barriers to EV adoption are home charging, road trips and cost…: Most surveys find these three concerns to be paramount among consumers, and this survey is no exception. Excluding the respondents who definitely plan to purchase an EV for their next car, the lack of home charging is the most cited concern (53%), followed by lack of suitability for road trips (51%) and cost (51%). Consumers feel relatively confident that EVs can fit into their daily routines, with only 17% expressing trepidation about that issue.
- …but some people just simply don’t like electric vehicles: Among the respondents who said they definitely would not buy an EV for their next car, 43% said they “just don’t like” electric vehicles. Even if the EV industry can address concerns about cost and charging over the next decade, these consumers likely won’t be assuaged, whether due to a personal connection to gasoline vehicles or a gut aversion to EVs. Indeed, 57% of respondents said they never plan to buy a fully electric vehicle.
- EV owners have better road trip experiences than non-owners expect: Most EV owners said they never (31%) or rarely (37%) had to change road trip plans due to public charger availability, and only 5% said they did so most of the time. Non-owners have the opposite prediction: 43% guessed that EV owners have to adjust plans most of the time, while only 2% said they never do so.
“Car buyers generally believe that EVs can handle their daily commute — they just want to feel as confident about their occasional road trip,” said Slatky. “The EV industry should continue building out the charging network, but innovations in battery safety may be just as crucial for getting consumers to make the switch.”
Based in Rhode Island, Jillian Young is AAA Northeast’s director of public relations. She regularly appears in local TV, radio and print media to discuss traffic safety, travel, insurance and more.
