Read The Full Article On: Forbes
Owning a new compact electric vehicle, based on more than five years and 75,000 miles of driving, is only slightly more expensive – about $600 annually – than its gas-powered counterpart, and the experience of actually having a plug-in car eases a common fear: range anxiety.
Those are the highlights of new research that examined electric vehicle ownership released on Monday by the AAA automotive group.
“Although 40 million Americans have shown interest in buying electric for their next car, actual adoption is happening at a much slower rate,” Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automotive engineering and industry relations, said in a statement. “AAA wanted to understand what kind of impact the experience of owning an electric vehicle has on perception of these cars and maybe more importantly, if given the chance would consumers choose to go green again.”
The analysis was based on a survey conducted in late 2019 by the AAA of 1,090 plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) owners , 71% of whom had not previously owned an electric car.
From the report:
—prior to owning an electric vehicle, most owners (91%) said that they had at least one concern, like insufficient range and finding a place to charge, but post purchase, many of these worries disappeared. (Previous AAA research found that the top two reasons why Americans shy away from electric vehicles are: not enough places to charge and the fear that they will run out of charge while driving.)
— the majority (96%) of respondents say they would buy or lease another electric vehicle the next time they were in the market for a new car.
– two in five (43%) owners said they drive more now than when they owned a gas-powered car.