Less than 1% of all U.S. households currently own an electric car, even though EVs could potentially lower transportation fuel bills, reduce personal carbon footprints, and help to reduce our dependence on oil.
So what’s holding you back from buying an electric vehicle?
If it’s range anxiety, or the belief that you would need to radically change your driving habits, you might want to reconsider those, because a recent survey found that over 40% of American households could use an electric vehicle with little or no change to their driving habits or vehicle needs.
The survey, from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Consumers Union, found that 42% of the survey respondents already meet the basic criteria for owning and operating a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and over half of those households could also be able to use a battery-electric vehicle (BEV).
Key findings of this survey include:
- 42% of U.S. households meet the basic requirements for using a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). PHEVs, like the Chevy Volt, run on both gasoline and electricity.
- 25% of U.S. households meet the basic requirements for using a battery electric vehicle (BEV). BEVs, like the Nissan LEAF, run entirely on electricity, with no tailpipe emissions.
- 69% of U.S. households have weekday driving habits within the range of nearly all BEVs on the market today.
- 65% of Americans think electric vehicles are an “essential part of our nation’s transportation future for reducing oil use and global warming pollution.”
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“There is a huge potential to continue expanding the market for electric vehicles, a key solution for tackling climate change and cutting our nation’s projected oil use in half over the next 20 years. Americans recognize that we need to reduce our oil use, and electric vehicles offer a great opportunity for drivers to do just that.” – David Reichmuth, senior engineer for UCS Clean Vehicles Program
For more information about the electric vehicle survey and the methodology behind it, see: Infographic: Millions of Americans Could Use an Electric Vehicle
For more information about becoming part of the electric vehicle solution, see: Clean Cars
