EVs Too Pricey For Most Consumers

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

Based upon a survey of 1,084 conducted by Boulder, Colo. firm Navigant Research, it would appear most won’t be in the market for EVs anytime soon due to the price of admission being too rich for their blood… for any EV.

According the survey, 71 percent plan to spend less than $25,000 on their next car with 43 percent of the 71 aiming for under $20,000; thus, the only EV or plug-in available within their range (after price cuts and credits) is the 2013 Nissan Leaf at $22,150.

Aside from price, familiarity is another obstacle for EV and plug-in adoption rates. The most familiar to the masses? The Chevrolet Volt, though only 6 percent are intimately familiar with the $26,685 (after credits) plug-in. However, the survey said that 67 percent of consumers loved the idea of hybrids, while 61 percent also loved the idea of EVs.

Finally, 40 percent of the populace sampled would be interested in charging stations in the vein of Tesla’s Supercharger, so long as they paid next to nothing (if at all) for the privilege; only 16 percent surveyed would pay more than $2 for a 15-minute recharge.

TTAC Staff
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  • APaGttH APaGttH on Dec 02, 2013

    ...According the survey, 71 percent plan to spend less than $25,000 on their next car with 43 percent of the 71 aiming for under $20,000... And in a world where ATP is well over $30K now across all makes and models and where one can drop near $30K on a Cruze or Focus - and get well north of $30K on almost any of the compact SUVs in a hurry. The wheels are going to start coming off the economic bus if something doesn't give. We're already seeing troubling signs with continued easing of financing standards, the growth of subprime to near economic crash level (but it's OK this time, because people are paying), and a growing dependency on subsidized/discounted leases.

    • 05lgt 05lgt on Dec 02, 2013

      It's a lot less alarming when you don't switch back and forth between median and average. Studies that do this don't get much trust from me. How would it look if we compared average income to median car price? Is that median by model or median by sale? Lies, damn lies, and poorly designed statistics.

  • In order for me to even consider an EV, it has to have a have a price similar to a regular car of its size and the same equipment of an equivalent car. My 300SRT came with adaptive cruise control, side turn signals, front/rear ultrasonic backup sensors, ultraview moonroof, Navigation, heated/cooled cup holders, heated/cooled seats, auto wipers, etc. For me to get any of that in an EV and have a car that fits my 6'6 body, I'd need a Model S and have to pay a minimum of $70,000. There are features my $58,000 car came with that the model S doesn't even offer at $110,000. AND FOR WHAT??? So I could say "I'm saving the planet" while I personally know Earth's geologic history: the bombardment by asteroids, metor showers, magnetic reversal of the poles, rampant extinction level events, etc,etc??? HELL NO. YOU GO AND TELL THOSE LIBERALS AND GREENERS that as long as their is a breath in my body, I'll be riding around in something with an engine that sucks down gas and churns out horsepower. And those bike lanes??? I DRIVE IN THEM. You'll take my HEMI SRT cars from MY COLD DEAD HANDS.

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    • @AustinOski They market this WASTEFUL GARBAGE as "environmentally friendly" - that's why. SAVE GAS??? LOL as if. I write Saudi Arabia CHECKS each month.

  • E46M3_333 E46M3_333 on Dec 02, 2013

    If you can afford a new car, you can afford gasoline.

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    • AustinOski AustinOski on Dec 03, 2013

      @E46M3_333 LOL "...you don’t want to be bothered vacuuming your kid’s crumbs from your Mercedes.", says the BMW owner. Actually, let me clarify: 1. My other three cars cost less, combined, than the LEAF's price after the $7500 govt vig and the $3,000 the dealer hacked off. 2. It's not just about the crumbs, It's about the dings, dents, scratches and other abuse my wife delivers to our vehicles. If left to her own devices, she'd just drive a car without regard for changing or checking fluids until the motor seized (her father reports she did this several times in her 20's). 3. I'm an odd-ball and probably a good fit for this site. The wagon is a 1994 E320. I happen to love 124's (for their solidity, not their "stellar" handling) and I love wagons. This one was owned, for 20 years, by the GM of MB of SF. It's pristine. So, no, I don't want it destroyed in 2 months after nearly 20 years of being pampered. 4. No, we're not typical, but a great fit for the LEAF. But, it's not a toy. It's an appliance. We live in downtown Austin, our average speed is 19MPH per the computer. We mostly run errands in a 10 mile radius (most w/in 3 miles). No commuters in the household. We can beat this appliance and return it when the lease is done, the net cost is super low and maintenance is nil. What's all the fuss? I don't get my jollies driving around downtown Austin. And, for what jollies I can get, between 0 and 35, an electric car is great with the low end torque. Friends laugh when I floor it at low speeds, because they are surprised. What's wrong with that? 5. No, I'm not struggling to pay for gas, but I sure like not buying it. I'd rather put the $70 that goes into the tank into something else. And, yes, I do just like the idea that it gets the cost equivalent of about 95mpg. It just plain feels good. My point in saying, "There are many things I can afford, which I choose not to buy" is that we all pick and choose what's important to us. That's most of us - just not the poor guy with the 10yo Civic and bad credit, that you describe. And, yes, the title is "EV's are too expensive for most consumers." Well, the guy is the 10 yo Civic is not most consumers (though, we're heading there, aren't we?). I'd argue the LEAF and other less expensive EV's aren't. But, they have to work for their lifestyle also. That reduces the cross section of people that can use them. That said, based on our experience, many more could if they wanted. I think the psychological barriers and misconceptions are the greatest barriers for many (range anxiety, unknowns about ownership experience, false idea that they must have a fast charger, etc.).

  • ClutchCarGo ClutchCarGo on Dec 02, 2013

    "However, the survey said that 67 percent of consumers loved the idea of hybrids, while 61 percent also loved the idea of EVs." Reminds me of the Onion article about public opinion of mass transit: "A study released Monday by the American Public Transportation Association reveals that 98 percent of Americans support the use of mass transit by others."

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    • Azmtbkr81 Azmtbkr81 on Dec 03, 2013

      It's also hilarious that that survey was conducted in Boulder, CO which is perhaps the most left-leaning, eco-conscience city in the US. It's not called the "The People's Republic of Boulder" for nothing. They should conduct the same survey in Amarillo, TX and then average the two results.

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