New survey shows that 25 percent of consumers are considering an EV for their next car
BELLEVUE, Wash. (Aug. 9, 2022) – Interested in getting road trip ready without having to stop at the gas station? According to a recent survey conducted by AAA – one of the most trusted travel and automotive brands in the U.S. – consumer interest in EVs is increasing, with 25 percent of respondents likely to buy an EV as their next car.
“Consumers across Washington are beginning the transition from their all-gas vehicles for the more environmentally friendly options,” said Laura Ray, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Environmental, Social, and Governance with AAA Washington. “With continuous education on EV ownership and the addition of charging stations at select AAA retail locations, the survey findings substantiate more consumers are considering the switch for a cleaner future.”
Other key findings from AAA’s 2022 EV sentiment survey:
- 25% of consumers would likely buy an EV as their next car – up from 19% in 2019
- 77% of respondents identified the cost of gas as their main motivator
- Respondents from Western states, including Washington, are most likely to purchase an EV (33%), compared with consumers in the Northeast (29%), Midwest (20%), and the South (21%)
- Interest among Millennials is highest (30%), followed by GenX (22%) and Boomers (12%)
- Cost of purchase (60%), charging accessibility (60%), and range anxiety (58%) remain top-of-mind issues with consumers concerned
To help address the need for reliable high-speed charging stations, AAA Washington has installed DC fast charging stations at several of its stores:
- AAA Vancouver Cruise & Travel Store (4301 East 4th Plain Blvd.) hosts four ChargePoint DC fast charging stations.
- AAA Lynwood Cruise & Travel Store (3000 196th Street S.W.) hosts one EVgo DC fast charging station.
- AAA Tacoma Cruise & Travel Store (1801 South Union Ave.) will host four ChargePoint DC fast charging stations with availability expected by early fall 2022.
Each of these charging stations offers combined CHAdeMo and CCS ports to recharge an electric vehicle in as little as 20 minutes, depending upon the car. In partnership with Carbon Solutions Group, AAA members receive a discount for charging at CSG ChargePoint locations at its AAA Vancouver and Tacoma stores.
AAA Washington has also put into place additional resources to support its members:
- EV Newsletter. AAA Washington members are welcome to subscribe to the club’s free EV newsletter for articles, news, and advice.
- Battery Health. Through a partnership with Washington-based Recurrent, AAA Washington members can access personalized reports about the battery health of their electric vehicles.
- 2022 Car Guide. Consumers can access the newly released AAA Car Guide including information about EVs evaluated across 13 categories. Fun fact: this year’s “top four” cars were all-electric models, including the #1 ranking 2021 Ford Mustang Match-E Premium AWD.
Another AAA consumer survey found that drivers are already making major changes to their habits and routines, with 13 percent buying more fuel-efficient vehicles and 2 percent switching to an electric vehicle since gas prices increased in March 2022.
“While the road to electric is an exciting one,” said Ray, “it can also be confusing. Through resources like AAA’s car guide and EV newsletter, and partnerships that provide unique services to our members, we will continue to support consumers with tools and information they can trust to make informed decisions.”
The EV consumer sentiment survey was conducted by AAA National on February 18-20, 2022, using a probability-based panel designed to represent the U.S. household population overall. The panel provides sample coverage of approximately 97% of the U.S. household population. Most surveys were completed online; consumers without Internet access were surveyed over the phone. A total of 1,051 interviews were completed among U.S. adults, 18 years of age or older. The margin of error for the study overall is +/- 4% at the 95% confidence level. Smaller subgroups have larger error margins.
