Study: 85% of U.S. consumers willing to buy a plug-in vehicle when ...— Autoblog Green

Plug-in vehicles are just starting to drizzle into the market, but many U.S. consumers are champing at the bit to buy them. So says E Source, a"dynamic"research and advisory firm, which recently analyzed data from the Nielsen Energy Survey and supposedly discovered that 85 percent of U.S. consumers would purchase a battery-powered vehicle either right away (3 percent), when their current automobile needs replacement (57 percent) or when electric vehicle technology is proven and becomes mainstream (25 percent).

Under the headline numbers, though, E Source found that not all plug-ins are the same. Consumers"strongly prefer"(58 percent) plug-in hybrid vehicles like theChevrolet Volt. Pure EVs, like theNissan Leaf, are only preferred by a mere eight percent. Bill LeBlanc, senior advisor at E Source, says that the statistics show"a substantial willingness for drivers to move to plug-in electric vehicles, but only if the manufacturers can provide the easy extended range of travel that Americans are used to."

E Source's analysis also suggests that liberals are more inclined to desire electric vehicles than conservatives (seehere). LeBlanc adds that:

We see that all ages and all political mindsets like the plug-in hybrid vehicles equally. But when it comes to the all-electric car, it appears to be seen as more of a"green"purchase, rather than as a practical upgrade to a more-efficient vehicle.

The E Source study examined other variables, including home ownership, type of home, household size, annual income, gender, age, marital status and ethnicity. We'd suggest that these findings be taken with a grain of salt.

Source