FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2022
Contact:
Noah Barnes, Plug In America
(323) 333-8010
nbarnes@pluginamerica.org
Second annual consumer survey finds EV consumers are very satisfied driving electric, but continue to express room for improvement in dealer and public charging experience
90% of EV owners are likely to purchase an EV as their next vehicle
LOS ANGELES—Plug In America released the results of the second annual major national survey of more than 8,000 electric vehicle (EV) consumers, both current drivers and those who plan to purchase one. The full survey report is now available on the Plug In America website at https://pluginamerica.org/about-us/electric-vehicle-survey/.
Among the findings of the survey:
- EV drivers are very satisfied with their vehicles, with 90% reporting that they are likely or very likely to purchase an EV as their next vehicle.
- The primary motivation for both owners and intenders to purchase an EV was the environment and air quality, but intenders are more likely to cite cost savings as a motivating factor.
- The primary economic factor for switching to an EV was access to inexpensive home charging, indicating a need to increase access to charging for residents of apartment and condo buildings.
- A majority of respondents (59%) considered it vital or very important that EVs charge with renewable energy.
- Over 80% of owners indicate satisfaction with finding the information they needed to buy or lease an EV; the most common detail lacking was cold-weather performance.
- EV drivers indicated room for improvement with the shopping experience, with only 15% rating the knowledge of the salesperson about EVs as “very high.”
- EV owners continue to voice frustration with public charging infrastructure, with the most common issues being broken or nonfunctional chargers or too few charging locations. However, the Tesla Supercharger network scored significantly better than its competitors on every metric.
“The market for electric vehicles is growing dramatically as more consumers are making the switch,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America. “As we move from the early adopter phase to the mass market, all stakeholders, from government entities to private companies to nonprofit organizations, need to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible for these consumers so that we may realize the many valuable benefits of clean EVs. This survey offers valuable insight to help improve the EV consumer experience.”
Plug In America will be hosting a webinar to examine the results of the survey in greater detail on Friday, March 18 at 3 pm ET/noon PT. More details on the webinar and the full survey report can be found at https://pluginamerica.org/about-us/electric-vehicle-survey/.
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About Plug In America
Plug In America is the nation’s leading independent consumer voice for accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. Formed as a non-profit in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information collected from our coalition of plug-in vehicle drivers, through public outreach and education, policy work and a range of technical advisory services. Our expertise represents the world’s deepest pool of experience of driving and living with plug-in vehicles. We drive electric. You can too. PlugInAmerica.org
