Survey Shows EV Gap Between Consumers, Dealers

A new survey by Cox Automotive shows that significantly more vehicle consumers were considering going electric last year than in 2021, many auto dealers don’t feel prepared for the transition, and EV sales will still make up less than 8% of U.S. vehicle sales this year.

Cox surveyed more than 1,000 consumers and 152 dealers last year and compared their responses with those in 2021 to get an updated reading of electric-vehicle sentiments, as governments and manufacturers push hard for EV adoption.

It found that consumers polled last year were much more open to the idea of switching from gas-powered models to EVs, 51% of respondents saying they were considering buying a new or used battery-electric vehicle in the following 12 months, up from 38% in 2021.

Barriers to adoption remained about the same as a year earlier: expense topping the reasons at 43%, followed by scarce charging infrastructure at 32%, and cost of battery replacement at 27%.

Surveyed auto dealers are far less confident about an EV future, just 31% saying EVs will largely replace gas-powered models, versus 53% of consumers, and just 46% of dealers feeling “extremely:” prepared to sell or service EVs.

Cox said manufacturer support of dealers will be crucial to prepare stores, particularly for servicing, because EV owners prefer dealerships for maintenance and repairs.

EV adoption is growing, though, as many more models are launched, Cox says. It forecasts that a million new EVs will sell in the U.S. this year, more than twice 2021’s volume and a record number.

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