Autolist Survey Reveals Price, Range, and Lack of Charging Holding EVs Back

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Automakers have made great strides with modern electric vehicles. Range has increased, charging times have decreased, and prices are down, as well. One area that hasn't been improved on drastically is charging infrastructure, but that isn't something automakers can tackle on their own. 

Unfortunately, everything automakers have done recently to make electric cars more attractive as alternatives to gasoline engines hasn't really worked. Autolist, an automotive search engine, conducted a recent survey that revealed the three reasons why the majority of consumers won't purchase an EV.

Countries Need More Infrastructure
 
The three things holding consumers back from purchasing an electric vehicle include overall range, price (relative to a similarly equipped gas-powered car), and the lack of chargers in their specific area. Sure, range and price have improved recently with new additions to the market, but those two items remain the largest issues with fully electric cars.
 
"Yes, there are more EVs available today than ever before, but that hasn't done much to change consumers' perceptions of them," stated Chase Disher, an analyst at Autolist. "The misconceptions that electrics faced at the beginning of this decade are still a major impediment to their success right now."
 
Tesla remains the leader of range in the EV world, as the Model S can travel 370 miles on a single charge. But a model that can cover that kind of ground costs $81,190. When asked what minimum range surveyors would expect from an electric car that cost $70,000, the most popular answer was "more than 500 miles." More than 60 percent of respondents stated that the EV would have to have more than 400 miles of range for that price. Unfortunately, Tesla's not at 400 miles yet and is well above the $70,000 mark.
 
Beyond range, price, and charging infrastructure, another issue respondents brought up included the brands currently offering electric cars. Despite offerings from Nissan, Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, Chevrolet, Jaguar, and Volkswagen, 11 percent of respondents stated that they did trust or know the brands selling electric cars.

There's Good News For EVs
 
Autolist, though, claims that there were a few good things that the survey brought out. For one, surveyors had "realistic expectations" when it involved range from a non-luxury EV from a mainstream brand. For electric cars that cost $35,000, they expected to see a range between 250 miles and 300 miles. Those numbers are bang on for the Chevrolet Volt, Hyundai Kona EV, and Kia Soul Electric.
 
Despite the government's attempts to get rid of rebates on electrified vehicles, 69 percent of people that were surveyed stated that they supported tax rebates , incentives, and perks at local, state, and federal levels. If more rebates and incentives were available that brought prices of electric cars down, it's safe to assume that the majority of consumers would have a different outlook on EVs.
 
Lastly, 55 percent of respondents stated that an EV would become their primary vehicle, if they were to buy one. Roughly 24 percent said an electric car would be their secondary vehicle. That, as Autolist points out, is good news for EVs and automakers that are pouring millions into electrified powertrains.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods