While the future of electric vehicles in the United States is likely nowhere near as dire as many have portrayed, the current state of things hasn’t done much to inspire confidence. Flagging demand has led to cutbacks on new EV projects and investments in manufacturing facilities, and a recent Gallup poll shows that people who don’t already own an EV aren’t as interested in buying one as they were a year ago.
EV ownership grew, with seven percent of Americans saying they own one, compared to four percent last year. At the same time, people who don’t own an electric vehicle aren’t as hot on the concept as they were in 2023. Gallup reported that just nine percent of non-EV owners said they were seriously considering a purchase, down from 12 percent last year.
Americans are less interested in EVs overall, too, with 35 percent saying they might consider one, an eight percent decline from the year before. Less than half of adults say they were considering buying an EV in the future, and the number that noted no interest in the format increased to 48 percent from 41 in 2023. The decline in interest has led to a softening of emissions reduction goals from the government and has driven price cuts for several electric models from automakers.
Gallup pointed to income, age, and politics as key factors impacting the shifts it recorded. Pricing is still a challenge, despite promises of affordable models, and EVs have become a surprisingly politically charged consumer product as interest levels vary wildly between Democrats and Republicans.
[Image: Kia]
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