US not yet ready to love plug-in cars

The future of transport might lie with electric cars, but US consumers aren’t quite ready yet to lead the charge.

Seventy-eight per cent of adults surveyed online by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) see the greatest advantage of electric cars being the ability to operate without the need for petrol. However, less than half (42 per cent) say they’re likely to follow news coverage of plug-in vehicles and just 40 per cent say they would be interested in test-driving such a car.

Perhaps not surprisingly in such a motor-happy society, the US consumer’s familiarity with greener forms of transport remains low, with only 25 per cent of those surveyed saying they were even familiar with electric car technology. Even hybrid vehicles don’t yet register on the radars of many: just 32 per cent said they were familiar or very familiar with that more fuel-efficient type of car.

While respondents said they also liked the fact that plug-in cars produce less pollution (67 per cent) and don’t require oil changes and tuneups (60 per cent), they still see numerous disadvantages. Seventy-one per cent expressed concern about the possibility of running out of battery power on the road, 66 per cent worried about the availability of charging locations and 59 per cent view limited mileage as a problem. Vehicle costs, reliability and battery life also were causes for concern.

Convenience also appears to be likely to affect motorists’ future car-buying decisions. More than half (51 per cent) of those surveyed said they would be less likely to consider an electric vehicle if they would have to install special charging equipment for the batteries.

Addressing such issues will be important in any future electric-car marketing efforts, said Chris Ely, CEA’s manager of industry analysis.

“(C)oncerns regarding battery life, charging stations and limited mileage may keep some consumers away until a comprehensive infrastructure is in place,” Ely said. “Manufacturers, dealers and other sellers will need to emphasise mileage and battery-related specifications when promoting and selling electric vehicles.”

The organisation’s next big conference — 2011 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas– in January will be the CEA’s first to feature electric cars along with energy storage devices and charging equipment.