Poll: Americans Say No To Electric Cars

A USA Today/Gallup Poll says that 57% of Americans won’t buy an electric car, no matter the price of gas.

            A front-page story in USA Today today indicates that an anti-electric car sentiment was unmasked by the poll. In the story, Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl said that pure electrics “are very much niche vehicles. They find acceptance among a group of core passionistas, but too many questions remain for mainstream consumers.” He added that mainstream consumers worry about range, recharge time, and battery replacement costs.

            The poll of 1,024 adults was done May 12 to May 15, when the average gas price was about $3.98. It’s now about $3.83.

            Nissan told USA Today writer James R. Healey that it interprets the poll numbers as a good sign because “as many as 40% are considering driving electric vehicles.”

            The website greenchipstocks.com responded to the USA Today story with a headline saying “Another Anti-Electric Car Article Exposed!” Like Nissan, greenchipstocks.com pointed out that 40% of those polled said they are interested in the technology.