Why aren’t electric cars selling?
The question of why electric cars aren’t selling nearly as well as many predicted is a worthy one to be researched. So why is every second new car-buyer not getting themselves an electric/hybrid ride?
The Wall Street Journal reported that research suggests a host of reasons for this phenomena—including a basic lack of familiarity, a high price tag, misconceptions about the cars as well as ineffective government incentives.
Consider the following: In a survey that was published in the journal Energy Policy last year, respondents couldn’t correctly answer basic factual questions about plug-in electric vehicles more than 60% of the time. Some 75% of wrong answers underestimated the beneficial aspects of the vehicles.
”The lack of accurate information about electric vehicles certainly [has] contributed to their small adoption,” says Rachel Krause, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas, and a co-author of the study.
The report suggested that helping people learn more about electric cars, including through demonstrations at locations such as sports stadiums, office parks and malls, would go a long way to changing their attitudes. Many respondents didn’t realize that all-electric cars require less maintenance than fuel-powered cars. Oil changes aren’t necessary, for example, and there are fewer breakable parts. The study also found that people often underestimated the fuel savings electric cars offer.
If you want to know more about electric/hybrid cars, have a look at our article covering how a hybrid car really works.