Despite mounting political pressure on the part of left-leaning politicians, only a tiny percentage of Americans are interested in buying an electric vehicle (EV) to fight “climate change.”
According to a March 1-23 Gallup poll, just 4% of Americans own an EV and only 12% are seriously considering buying one. Another 43% say they “might consider” purchasing an electric vehicle in the future, while 41% are adamantly opposed.
As in nearly all states, electric vehicles comprise a miniscule percentage of Alaska vehicles. According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, EVs make up 0.2% of all “light-duty vehicles” in the state. That translates into 1,300 actual cars, or one vehicle per 0.002 Alaskans.
A substantial majority of Republicans, 71%, say they would not consider owning an electric vehicle.
Even in California, where EVs are most popular, they are still just 1.6% of all light duty vehicles, and there are only 0.014 EVs for every California resident.
This reality may create problems with the Biden administration’s stated goal of ensuring that half of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. Likewise, California has mandated that all new vehicle sales in the state must be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
While electric cars are certainly more popular than they were a decade ago, they remain significantly more expensive than conventional vehicles.
EV advocates, however, claim they help mitigate “climate change” because they don’t emit greenhouse gases at the same rate as gas-powered vehicles.
“Yet, this idea that electric vehicles help to address climate change is not universally accepted by Americans,” Gallup reported. “While about four in 10 U.S. adults think using EVs helps address climate change ‘a great deal’ (12%) or ‘a fair amount’ (27%), roughly six in 10 believe it helps ‘only a little’ (35%) or ‘not at all’ (26%).”
Along these same lines, Americans who “worry a great deal” about global warming or climate change are most open to owning an electric vehicle, Gallup found.
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“Current ownership of electric vehicles among partisans is 6% for Democrats, 4% for independents and 1% for Republicans,” Gallup reports. “Democrats (22%) are also far more likely than both Republicans (1%) and independents (12%) to say they are seriously considering purchasing an EV. The majority of Democrats, 54%, say they may consider it in the future. Meanwhile, a substantial majority of Republicans, 71%, say they would not consider owning an electric vehicle.”
Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to believe that “the use of EVs helps address climate change,” Gallup reported. “Just over two-thirds of Democrats think electric vehicles help a great deal (22%) or a fair amount (46%). Meanwhile, 55% of Republicans say they do not help at all, and 32% believe they help only a little bit. Independents are closer to Republicans than Democrats in their views.”
6 Comments
In my view, people thst live in cities Anchorage, L.A., Chicago, NYC, need to use EV’s. it will help on smog control some probably. Other people as in Alaska or farmers need gas/diesel vehicles. In Alaska how does that heater work in your EV? do you get from home yo eork before the battery dies? How about people in Fairbanks coming to Anchorage, how many time and how long will it be to get here now? Oh be sure to pack a long extension cord. common sense if democrats had any would know EV’s are good but there is no way they will work up here. How about that farmer plowing the field or harvesting the crop? Liberals have SOME good ideas but are to unintelligent to think them all the way through leaving simple questions like I just wrote here with no answers. Yes EV’s can be good but we still also need gas powered vehicles. No I’m not a republican or a Democrat. I’m independent and have a brain to think through things to the end!
Just amazing that people are still even allowing EVs considering the amount of electricity needed to charge these, the amount of resources needed to build the batteries, no place to safely dispose of the batteries, and just imagine trying to travel in Alaska at below zero and hoping that your batteries don’t drain quickly due to the cold. I remember when a family of grandparents and grandchild were travel on an Alaskan Hwy during a snow storm, got stuck and froze to death. Imagine traveling along an Alaskan Hwy during the winter and your car batteries lose their charge and you have no way to charge your batteries; would you freeze to death unless help comes quickly? Imagine having to buy a new vehicle every time your vehicle batteries will no longer hold a charge. Imagine your garage catching on fire when your electric vehicle decides to catch on fire. The electric vehicle has no place in our world at this time.
The technology is just not there yet. These EV’s cost more, can’t charge fast enough, won’t travel far enough on a single charge, and when a component breaks nobody can fix them. I’ve heard horror stories of people having to shut down all power inside the cabin (heat, radio etc.) after receiving a low-charge warning.. How’s that gonna work in the Winter? Windows fogging up, freezing to death on the commute to and from work. That’s nuts and a safety hazard. Also, heard that if something happens to the battery, like an accident damages them, the entire vehicle gets damaged out by insurance, because it’s not cost-effective to repair/replace them (not sure if that is true?).
These EV’s are more destructive on the environment and use slave labor to mine the colbalt in third-world countries. Any of this sound appealing to the average consumer out there? LOL
I think all technologies should be pursued and if one is better than the other than the lesser will gradually phase out. The ridiculous political stronghold of the climate cult regarding EV’s is downright illogical and even filled as I am pretty sure ultimately their goals really are not about climate. EV’s use plenty of fossil fuels and have their own list of toxicity. Electricity is predominantly produced by fossil fuel, hence the manufacturing is fossil fuel, the charging is mostly fossil fuel generated, the toxic substances used in the manufacture of batteries and computer components are not without toxicity merit. Add in slave labor from countries building the computer parts. To tout electric vehicles as the golden child of the environmentally friendly transportarion solution is a lie. Albeit with all of that said, I do not deny the worthiness of pursuing the technology. Just put aside the smoke and mirrors, deception, and the attempts at forcing the populace to depend upon a very undependable and still sketchy technology before it can actually compete well with what we have now.
Ugh. In my just submitted comment —- Auto mistake at it again. Second sentence ‘even filled’ was typed ‘evil’. Good grief.
that is because they can NOT work in the very cold or very hot temperatures.
you have to use 50% of the battery for heat or A/C.
I really like the one between Anc & Fairbanks that is CLOSED in the winter.
you dimlibbys are a 1st class joke!
now go soak your heads!