Nearly half of US electric vehicle owners are 'very likely' to switch back to gas-powered cars, study shows



A recent study conducted of nearly 37,000 mobility consumers revealed a staggering number of electric vehicle owners are likely to switch back to internal combustion engine cars.

The study conducted by the trusted McKinsey and Co. asked over 200 questions to consumers in 15 countries since 2021. The countries surveyed make up more than 80% of the sales volume in the market.

Responses showed that 29% of EV owners globally said they were "very likely" to switch back to a combustion engine, mostly due to difficulty in charging.

'Within the next 10 years, I will replace my private vehicle completely with other forms of transport.'

However, where the worldwide numbers were less than a third, nearly half of respondents from the United States said they were "very likely" to switch back.

The top five countries very likely to switch back were:

  1. Australia - 49%
  2. United States - 46%
  3. Brazil - 38%
  4. China - 28%
  5. Germany - 24%
The biggest reasons, according to the study, for hesitancy with EV models were technology skepticism and the cost of ownership.

Over half (55%) of EV skeptics didn't want to occupy themselves with new technology, while 45% of skeptics thought the cost of ownership was too high. Another figure of 33% represented those who had concerns about charging.

The data dating back to 2021 also showed a slight rise among car owners in the desire to own an electric vehicle.

Those who said their next vehicle would be a battery-powered electric rose from 14% to 18% from 2021-2024.

The number of those who said they would buy just one more new gas car rose from 14% to 17% over the same time period.

The highest responses, however, have been from those who do not want to switch to EV; a number that has decreased slightly from 24% to 21% over that timeframe.

Demographics of those considering an electric vehicle for their next purchase included wealthier individuals, with those who are looking to buy one earning an average of $6,230 USD per month, versus $4,235 per month from the skeptics.

The average age of "EV considerers" is 42, with 68% of them considering themselves as tech-savvy.

"Within the next 10 years, I will replace my private vehicle completely with other forms of transport."

Just 29% of consumers agreed with this statement; the biggest reasons being that cars are becoming too expensive, sustainability, and remote work.

As for autonomous vehicles, consumers don't seem ready for those quite yet. There have been some serious issues with the products in California, perhaps lending to the fact that the United States led the way with 41% of respondents saying they would never be comfortable with such vehicles.

Chinese and Brazilian respondents were most comfortable with immediate implementation of unmanned cars, at 31% and 29% respectively. No other country came close. Most countries hovered between 55-65% in terms of being ready for autonomous cars in "a few years," with only the Americans responding under the 50% margin.

The study seemed to show that at least in 2024, most people are not ready to swipe their phones across their window to gain entry to their cars.

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'Is that true? Because that sounds crazy': Joe Rogan discovers how electric vehicles can cause more pollution than gas cars

'Is that true? Because that sounds crazy': Joe Rogan discovers how electric vehicles can cause more pollution than gas cars



Comedian Joe Rogan was admittedly surprised to learn that electric vehicles can be a greater detriment to the environment than gas-powered ones.

Rogan, who noted that he actually drove to his recording session in an electric car, said on episode 2119 of "The Joe Rogan Experience" that he had just read that the environmental impact of electric cars "is actually worse overall than the environmental impact of a traditional combustion engine."

"Is that true? Because that sounds crazy," he added.

The podcaster referenced a resurfaced study reported by the Wall Street Journal that was published by Emission Analytics in 2022.

"Electric vehicles release more toxic particles into the atmosphere and are worse for the environment than their gas powered counterparts," Rogan read from the New York Post. "Today most vehicle-related pollution comes from tire wear — whoa — heavy cars drive on light duty tires most often made with synthetic rubber made from crude oil and other fillers and additives. They deteriorate and release harmful chemicals into the air," Rogan continued.

As Rogan discovered in real time, the study concluded that tailpipe emissions are not the main driver behind pollution. Instead, tire wear emissions are actually the main cause of car pollution to the tune of 1,850 times greater than exhaust emissions.

"Tailpipe particulate emissions are much lower on new cars," the study explained, noting that vehicle mass and aggressive driving increase the particulate emissions a car produces. Electric vehicles are 30% heavier than gas-powered cars, causing tires and breaks to erode faster. Coupled with increased torque, this can spell trouble for an EV's pollution rates.

Even the weight of a battery alone can result in 400 times more emissions than tailpipe exhaust, the study noted, citing a half-ton battery for an EV.

Rogan later noted that there had been "brake dust everywhere" when cleaning his own car. He also recalled learning in years prior that brake dust was a significant polluter in congested cities.

However, a "gentle" electric car driver, with the benefit of regenerative braking, can "more than cancel out the tire wear emissions from the additional weight of their vehicle" and achieve lower tire wear than a poorly driven gas-powered car, the study added.

Guest James Lindsay pointed to another significant environmental detriment from the EV market. The mathematician posited that there is a rather significant gap between sales of new and used electric vehicles.

"Besides getting the materials to make the batteries is that they're not reusable. There's no used EV market, nobody wants to buy a used one. And then replacing the batteries if they wear out is a disaster."

A report from early 2024 seemingly confirmed Lindsay's hypothesis, at least in the European Union.

In Germany, which has the most electric vehicles in Europe, used EVs only make up 1.58% of new ownership registrations as of November 2023. This was an increase over 1.23% in 2022.

Groups from Italian and Spanish markets reportedly place their used EV registration rates at less than 1%.

Factors contributing to the poor sales of secondhand EVs reportedly included the higher purchase price, a perceived lack of charging stations, and the fact that the consumer worries about the driving range of plug-in cars.

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California PAYS THE PRICE for Its Electric Vehicle Crusade | Ep 567

California PAYS THE PRICE for Its Electric Vehicle Crusade | Ep 567