The automotive industry is going electric. But many Americans remain skeptical that they could make the switch to an electric car. America has spent a century building up the infrastructure to support endless nationwide road trips in gasoline-powered cars. Electric cars, with their limited range, make some buyers nervous.
Americans are more demanding than other drivers. That’s one conclusion from the 2022 Global Automotive Consumer Study, published last month (Jan 2022) by the professional services firm Deloitte.
Survey respondents were asked, “How much driving range would a fully charged all-battery electric vehicle need to have in order for you to consider acquiring one?” Americans averaged an answer of 518 miles.
We’re a demanding group. German drivers gave an average answer of 383 miles. Drivers in China, now the world’s largest car market by number of new cars registered, would buy in at just 258 miles.
That range is possible for a price. Exactly one car currently on the market could meet survey respondents’ range demands. The Lucid Air, a luxury sedan built by a California startup, has an EPA-certified range of up to 520 miles. The only configuration able to travel that distance, the Dream Edition, carries a starting price of $169,000. Or, rather, it did. Lucid has sold out of them for 2022.
That price tag is another hurdle the survey highlighted for EV sales. Respondents cited three main hurdles to changing their minds about EV adoption: range, lack of charging infrastructure, and the higher cost of EVs.
To get its results, Deloitte surveyed more than 26,000 consumers of driving age world-wide. Just 1,031 were American.
Credit: marketwatch.com
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