Addressing charging infrastructure concerns may encourage some non-EV owners to purchase or lease an electric vehicle
Washington DC, December 05, 2022 – New polling by Ipsos finds that high purchase costs and worry over charging logistics are the top two concerns holding non-electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid owners back from purchasing or leasing an electric car in the next two years. Some non-EV owners are open to incentives and solutions, particularly around charging logistics. Still, when it comes to incentivizing hybrid or electric vehicles, some segments of the public report being harder to nudge, namely lower income, Black and rural respondents.
These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between October 14 – October 16, 2022, by Ipsos using our KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 3,041 U.S. adults age 18 or older. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the sample of all Americans.
Detailed findings:
In the next two years, the high-purchase cost of EVs and charging logistics are the two biggest concerns holding non-EV owners back from purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle.
- Three in five Americans cite high-purchase cost (59%) and chagrining logistics (58%) as the reason for not considering an electric vehicle in the next two years.
- The next tier of worries include maintenance cost (36%) and vehicle performance in very hot or cold weather (33%).
- Few non-EV owners (18%) have no concerns about purchasing or leasing an electric-only or plug-in hybrid vehicle in the next two years.
Free public charging stations, access to fast public chargers, and the ability to charge their cars where they live are the top three incentives that would encourage non-EV owners to purchase or lease a plug-in hybrid or electric-only vehicle.
- Two in five non-EV owners would be encouraged to buy or lease an electric vehicle if they had access to free public charging stations (41%) or fast public charging stations (39%). Many would also be nudged to consider these vehicles if they could charge their vehicle at home (37%).
- Following these charging concerns, government subsidies (36%) and access to workplace charging (18%) may promote EV ownership among those who don’t own these vehicles.
- Still, 42% of non-EV owners feel that none of the listed incentives would encourage them to consider a plug-in hybrid or electric-only vehicle. These respondents skew lower income, Black, and rural.
About the Study
This Ipsos study was conducted October 14 – October 16, 2022, by Ipsos using our KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 3,041 adults age 18 or older.
The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult US population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the US. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.The study was conducted in English.
The data for the general population sample were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, and household income. The demographic benchmarks of the general population came from the 2022 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45–59, and 60+) for the general population sample.
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other or 2+ Races Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor and beyond) for the general population sample.
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan Status (Metro, non-Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the sample of all Americans. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.10. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2025
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing over 18,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
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