Latest AAA Survey Casts A Shadow Over The EV Revolution

Every year, AAA surveys Americans to find out what cars they plan to buy, and why. This year’s survey has bad news for EV enthusiasts — like most CleanTechnica readers. In the latest survey, AAA found that “only 16% of US adults report being ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to purchase a fully electric vehicle as their next car, the lowest percentage recorded of EV interest since 2019. The percentage of consumers indicating they would be ‘unlikely’ or ‘very unlikely’ to purchase an EV rose from 51% to 63%, the highest since 2022.”

Oh, dear. What has happened to the EV Revolution? Is the S Curve associated with innovation been proven wrong for once? Actually, it should be abundantly clear that what has happened is that the US is now in the grip of a political movement that loathes electric cars and is doing everything in its power to banish them from America’s roads and highways. Why would they do that? To appease the oil companies who paid so much money to get them elected.

America is a petrostate. It produces more oil and gas than any other nation. Everything we see happening in Congress and the maniacal executive orders of the failed president is designed to benefit Big Oil. EV incentives are on the chopping block, to be replaced with punitive annual fees designed to punish people for driving electric cars. In the midst of such madness, it should not be surprising that people are more negative now than at any time in recent memory. By the same token, if you asked Americans today whether they plan to visit a public library this year, the trend would likely to be down as well as ignorance casts a pall across the land.

AAA is philosophical about the downward trend .“Since we began tracking interest in fully electric vehicles, we’ve seen some variability,” said Greg Brannon, director of automotive engineering. “While the automotive industry is committed to long-term electrification and providing a diverse range of models, underlying consumer hesitation remains.”

Those who responded to the AAA survey this year had a number of concerns, the biggest of which (62%) involved fears of what it would cost to replace the battery in a new EV. Now, that is not an unreasonable concern and it might make some sense if people were looking to buy a used electric car. Replacing the battery pack in a Tesla Model Y can cost between $10,000 and $20,000, according to the Google gods.

Yet few seems to know that federal law requires manufacturers to provide an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Try getting your gasmobile dealer to give you the same coverage. The same Google gods put the cost of replacing a Ford 3.5 liter Ecoboost engine at up to $8,000, while the transmission can cost even more.

High prices are another concern (59%), although the survey did not distinguish between what people assumed a new EV would cost and those who had actually researched prices. Because of the totally bananas tariffs imposed by the Moron of Mar-A-Loco, the price of everything made with steel or aluminum is going to go up dramatically in the next few months, thanks to spineless Repugnicans in Congress.

Other concerns included a lack of convenient chargers that make long distance travel problematic and fears about being stuck out in East Overshoe on a dark night with a depleted battery. More than a quarter of those surveyed fretted about whether EVs are safe (can you drive one through a puddle without getting electrocuted?) and expectations that installing a charger at home would be an expensive hassle.

Fear & Loathing In EV Land

CleanTechnica readers, who are all above average, will spot the common element here — fear. Now fear is a common phenomenon when it comes to new technology. Lots of us stood far away from our first microwave ovens for fear our brains would get parboiled if we were too close. And how many chose not to get a VCR because we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to set the clock? There is no shame in ignorance. It can be cured through the application of information, a process sometimes known as education. Sadly, there is no known cure for willful ignorance, otherwise known as stupidity.

The US auto industry, by and large, has done a poor job of educating consumers. That applies to manufacturers as well as car dealers. Have you heard of any dealer-sponsored public education or test drive sessions near you? We sure haven’t. The manufacturers are moaning about how no one wants to buy an electric car, but doing next to nothing to promote their EV products.

There is another reason, of course. Although it may not be obvious, for a long time the biggest champion of electric cars was Elon Musk. But ever since he embraced the right wing lunatics, Tesla sales have cratered in many markets. For all the good Musk did for electric cars, his toxic politics are now having the opposite effect.

Why People Want An EV, According To AAA

In the AAA Survey, of the people who actually said they were considering an electric car, the primary reason (77%) was to save money on gas. In 2022, gas cost up to $5 a gallon (more in some places like California). Today, the average price of gas has fallen to about $3 a gallon. That’s a big change that counters the economic reasons for buying an electric car.

AAA says that in this year’s survey, “the primary reasons for buying EVs remain similar, with respondents citing gas savings, environmental concerns, and an appreciation for the lower maintenance costs associated with EVs. According to last year’s Your Driving Cost analysis, EVs had the lowest fuel cost of any vehicle type, based on a national average electricity price of 15.9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). EVs also had the lowest maintenance costs among all models.”

Where Do We Go From Here?

In an article about this most recent AAA Survey, Autoblog said, “Right now, price anxiety and political discussions are heavily influencing how people view electric vehicles. Regardless of where you stand politically, trying to let the market alone decide the future of EV adoption when many feel everything is already too expensive will likely lead to the public rejecting the pricier option. At this point, more affordable EV options and a stronger charging network need to be built out in order for full electrification to happen, but that’s a tall order.”

Inside EVs says more people are hedging their bets by opting for conventional hybrids like those offered by Toyota. Those cars never have to be plugged in, so no need for an EV charger at home and no fear of being stuck without a charger near. Ford and GM are ramping up plans to bring more hybrids to market, although their offerings may not find their way into showrooms for a few years yet. The puny little batteries in most hybrids now cost very little to replace if needed.

The biggest advantage of hybrids is better fuel economy, which necessarily translates into lower emissions and the price penalty between a hybrid and a conventional car is quite small. That is a potential problem for Tesla, however, which makes only battery-electric cars. It has no ability to adjust its product mix to meet changes in the marketplace.

So where do we go from here? In the US at least, the outlook for electric cars is a slower upward trend than was the case previously, but that doesn’t mean the EV Revolution is over in America. More chargers are being added and older chargers are being upgraded. More models of electric cars are  now in showrooms or coming soon. The things that people like about electric cars are still appealing to many. Slower growth is not ideal, but the Revolution will still go on, despite the fierce opposition from America’s so-called leaders.