According to a recent Gallup poll, fewer Americans say they would consider buying an electric vehicle. The poll from March 1-20 found that 9% of nonowners are seriously considering purchasing an EV, down from 12% in 2023. In addition, the poll found 35% of people say they would consider purchasing an EV in the future at all. In the previous year, 43% said they would consider an EV.
The decline in EV consideration is matched by a slight uptick in EV ownership. The Gallup poll found that 7% of Americans, up from 4% in 2023, report that they own an electric vehicle.
Overall however, 44% of adults in the U.S. say they are either seriously considering or might consider buying an EV in the future. This is down from 55% in 2023. Meanwhile, the amount of people who say they are not considering an EV has increased from 41% to 48%.
The Federal Government has set a goal to make half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles. Part of that goal also includes the creation of a convenient and equitable EV charging network. According to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation’s Q1 NEVI update, there are now more than 170,000 public charging ports across the country, with an average of 900 new chargers opening each week. This could help boost EV demand as a recent ChargeLab survey found that over half of EV drivers still relied on public chargers.
Still, as of now, Jeffrey M. Jones of Gallup says “Unless that market expands greatly in the next few years, it is unlikely auto companies doing business in the U.S. will be able to meet the emissions targets laid out by the Biden administration. Those targets may need to be relaxed further if Biden is reelected, or they may be done away with under a second Trump administration.”
Read the full results of the Gallup poll and analysis by Jones here on Gallup’s website.
