The Road to EV: America’s Move to the Electric Vehicle

With many of the auto manufacturer’s making public announcements pledging an all-electric vehicle lineup within the next 15 years, the potential landscape beneath a host of industries and our resulting way of life have shifted in an instant. While much remains to be seen around the ultimate timing and penetration of these pledges, the possible implications are breathtaking.

The Harris Poll is conducting a 3-part Electric Vehicle Series that will explore a wide array of insights to better understand America’s attitudes, behaviors, and the overall impact an all-electric auto industry will have on society.

Part 1, below, looks at awareness, credibility of the all-EV pledges, willingness to purchase an electrical vehicle, and the importance of an all-EV commitment to an auto manufacturer’s overall reputation.

• A large majority of the public has heard of the pledges to go all electric with roughly half being somewhat or very familiar; Gen Z is least aware of this news story.
  • Awareness of the announcements to go all electric is higher among Americans with higher income and higher education.

• Auto manufacturers need to build confidence, as nearly half the public feel they are likely not to fulfill their pledges to go all EV; millennials are most optimistic.
  • Females are more optimistic than males as over 6 in 10 (61%) females say the auto manufacturers will fulfill their pledges, while roughly half (45%) of males do not believe the auto companies will live up to their pledges.

• Over four in ten Americans would be willing to purchase an EV now as their primary or secondary vehicle with a quarter (23%) saying they are ready to purchase an EV as their primary vehicle.
  • Gen X And Boomers Most Likely To Resist The Move To All EV: 22% of Gen X and 29% of Boomers say they will never purchase an electric vehicle.
  • Willingness to purchase an EV now as primary or secondary vehicle is significantly higher among males (47% versus 39% of females), those with an income of $100K + (53%), those with a college degree or higher (53%), and those with children in the Household (56%).

• 6 in 10 Americans feel it is important to a car company’s reputation to make a public commitment to go all electric; nearly 7 in 10 gen Z/millennials say it is important.
  • Over two-thirds (67%) of those with a college degree or higher feel it is important.
  • 7 in 10 Gen Z (68%) and Millennials (71%) feel it is important to the auto manufacturer’s reputation to make a public commitment to go all electric.