A recent survey of almost 37,000 mobility consumers revealed that a surprisingly large number of electric car owners are likely to return to their internal combustion engine vehicles.
The survey, conducted by the trusted McKinsey & Company, asked over 200 questions to consumers in 15 countries for 2021 and beyond. The countries surveyed represent over 80% of the market’s sales.
According to the survey, 29% of EV owners worldwide said they were “very likely” to return to internal combustion engines, mainly due to charging challenges.
“Within the next 10 years, we intend to completely replace private cars with other modes of transportation.”
But nearly half of U.S. respondents said it was “very likely,” compared with less than a third globally.
Here are the top five countries most likely to bounce back:
- Australia – 49%
- United States – 46%
- Brazil – 38%
- China – 28%
- Germany – 24%
More than half (55%) of EV skeptics didn’t want to bother with the new technology, while 45% of skeptics thought the cost of ownership was too high, and 33% had concerns about charging.
Data going back to 2021 also shows a slight increase in the desire to own an electric vehicle among car owners.
The percentage of people who said their next car will be a battery electric vehicle increased from 14% to 18% between 2021 and 2024.
Over the same period, the number of people saying they would buy just one more gas-powered car rose from 14% to 17%.
However, the most common responses came from people who didn’t want to switch to EVs, with that number decreasing slightly from 24% to 21% over the same period.
The demographic of those considering an electric vehicle as their next purchase includes wealthier individuals, with the average monthly income of those considering buying an electric vehicle being $6,230 compared to $4,235 for skeptics.
The average age of EV considerers is 42, and 68% consider themselves tech-savvy.
“Within the next 10 years, we intend to completely replace private cars with other modes of transportation.”
Only 29% of consumers agreed with this statement, with the top reasons being cars becoming too expensive, sustainability, and remote work.
When it comes to self-driving cars, consumers don’t seem ready to embrace them just yet. California has had some serious issues with self-driving cars, which may also be influenced by the fact that the US leads the way with 41% of respondents saying they will never be satisfied with them.
Respondents in China and Brazil were most comfortable with the immediate deployment of driverless cars, at 31% and 29%, respectively. No other country came close. Most countries fluctuated between 55% and 65% when it came to saying they would be ready for autonomous vehicles “within a few years,” with the U.S. being the only country to drop below 50%.
The survey seems to suggest that most people won’t be ready to swipe their phone against a car window to get inside until at least 2024.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get stories like this directly to your inbox. Register here!
