What A New Study Shows About Potential EV Buyers
More than the headline would suggest
I’ve often quoted Ed Kim at AutoPacific on car matters. So, when I saw their latest study on potential EV buyers, I was intrigued.
AutoPacific’s Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS) data showed that EV intenders (shoppers who will not just consider an EV, but actually intend to get one as their next vehicle) are now more likely to identify as Republican than Democrat.
Specifically, 43% of EV intenders are Republican while 36% are Democrats, the study showed.
That was eye opening, but what caught my attention came later.
“AutoPacific’s FADS data show that among Republicans who do NOT want an EV, only 13% say political beliefs are a reason they don’t want them. Rather, cost and charging/range anxiety - the usual EV rejection reasons - top the reasons among Republicans to reject an EV.”
In other words, the plain old “will I get there?” worries universally shared by motorists.
Ed concluded, “So, perhaps the market is actually coming to a point where EVs really are just powertrain options rather than statement pieces. For many consumers - regardless of their politics - an EV is simply what they want or need. For others - again, regardless of their politics - an EV isn’t. Maybe now, it’s really becoming as simple as that.”
This is what interests me most - and here’s why it is important.
How long will the batteries last
Believe it or not, people once were concerned about the viability of hybrid-electric vehicles. When Prius went on sale nearly 30 years ago now, people wondered how long the batteries would last. There were fears that the big battery powering the car would die and be incredibly costly to replace.
Of course, those fears have long since been disproven. Hybrids are so reliable that Toyota has hybridized entire swaths of its lineup. In 2025, automakers sold 2 million hybrids in the U.S., with Toyota claiming 1.1 million of those sales.That was a 27.6% increase.
Think about it: vehicles that once seemed quirky, or yes, woke, have now become mainstream.
When I bought my first hybrid (above) in 2008, Prius owners used to give each other a little wave - we called it the fellowship of the Prius.
Now, no one thinks twice when they see a Prius, although pickups and SUVs love to tailgate us and honk at us when we don’t drive fast enough for their taste.
From the results of the AutoPacific survey, we may be getting there soon with EVs, especially in parts of the country where they are being embraced and chargers are easy to find.
The AutoPacific study says Republican support for EVs could be what keeps the market going amid the many efforts to kill it. I actually think more factors are involved, including the deep affection that owners have for their vehicles.
Like hybrid owners a quarter century ago, EV owners are evangelists for their automobiles, helping convince others that it is okay to buy them.
If we get to the point that battery-charged engines are “just powertrain options,” that’s when the sea change takes place. Stay tuned.