- Consumer Reports surveyed 1,700 adults about green cars.
- Half of the respondents said being green was important to them.
- Only 14 percent of the 39 percent who are considering a hybrid or EV will likely consider a battery electric vehicle, CR said.
YONKERS, New York — Few consumers are open to buying an electric vehicle such as the 2011 Nissan Leaf because they are worried about "practical concerns" such as cost, range, functionality and safety, according to the preliminary findings of a new survey by Consumer Reports.
"Electric vehicles have captured the interest of some consumers," said Consumer Reports in a posting Thursday on its Web site. "However, many may be wary of embracing a new technology if it demands lifestyle changes."
The survey, which queried 1,700 adult vehicle owners in the U.S., found that 51 percent of the respondents said being "green" is an important factor in choosing their next car. "However, 'green' ranks just 11th out of the 12 factors we asked about, behind more traditional considerations of quality, price and value," the consumer watchdog reported.
The study found that 39 percent are considering a hybrid or EV for their next car. Most of those are considering a "conventional hybrid," but only 14 percent of those considering a hybrid or EV will likely consider a battery electric vehicle, Consumer Reports said.
Consumers are concerned about limited driving range and recharging infrastructure when it comes to considering the purchase of an EV.
Inside Line says: More evidence that it's not easy being green for many consumers. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
tbone85 says:
11:13 AM, 10/25/2010
It's new unproven techonology and to some extent new infrastructure. Consumers SHOULD be cautious. We depend on the early adopters to work out the bugs and drive the cost down. :-) I wonder how reticent consumers were when faced with the first personal computers or mobile phones?
If the products work well and pricing moves downward, people will buy them. If they prove to be unreliable, expensive to maintain, and the price remains high, or if the infrastructure proves untenable, people won't buy them.
m14 says:
04:09 PM, 10/24/2010
I think EVs are stupid. People dont want to wait 5-8hrs for the car to recharge. I rather take a hybrid or a diesel than an EV, no matter how much the gas cost.
morey000 says:
08:42 PM, 10/23/2010
of course not. Gas is $2.70/gallon. At that price, there's little reason to by a tiny car that you can't ever take on trip outside your neighborhood. Might as well just get a bicycle.
oldevguy says:
09:08 PM, 10/22/2010
It's this kind of unresearched articles that keeps me from believing in any thing this magazine has to say. Here in Portland Oregon we have charging infrastructure being installed all over the city and the surrounding area and this is just the start. Washington and Oregon are working together to build quick charging units every 100 miles down I5 from north of Seattle all the way down to Ashland. People are going to have to start understanding this mode of transportation we've been in love with for the last 100 years is no longer sustainable. It's time to start a cleaner, better way to get from point A to point B. It sure won't be easy or quick but we have to get started. There are a whole bunch of really smart folks already working on some of the many problems to bringing it off. Let's work together rather then trying to put up road blocks.
JMHO!
ferenc says:
12:17 PM, 10/22/2010
i sure won't be buying a "green" car for at least 10 years.
davicho says:
09:10 AM, 10/22/2010
@ Anita,
I don't think that the problem is not being easy to be green. I think the real problem is the infancy of the infrastructure for the EV community. EVs can be great point A to point B commuters because of the range of battery life. However, most consumers do not want to make two purchases to fit their needs and lifestyle, thus they go with a Hybrid vehicle instead. We all want a vehicle that can multitask whether it be commute duty or weekend getaway duty, something an EV cannot accomplish due to the scarcity of recharging stations and the time consumed doing so. No one wants to stop after 100 miles or so in their weekend getaway for 2-3 hours to recharge, plus even if you had to, not every exit on the highway has a recharging station. Point is, that unless the infrastructure grows or (although EV's in general are technology filled) the technology of self-sufficiency in the matter of self-recharging by genenratively doing so is established on an EV, consumers will continue to be wary of purchasing a single tasked EV and go the Hybrid route.