Published on April 24th, 2023 | by Sounder Rajen

Only 4 In 10 Americans Considering An EV. What About Malaysians?

Apparently many Americans are put off by high EV starting prices

We all know that electrification is pretty much in full swing in the West and that many countries here in Asia, such as Thailand, are already adopting electric vehicles (EVs) very quickly but a recent study in the United States has shown that only one in four Americans are considering an EV for their next car.

Okay, so four out of 10 is 40 percent, which is still a decent number but definitely much lower than one would expect from an advanced nation. Also, current president, Joe Biden, had already stated that he wants half of all new vehicle sales to be for EVs by 2030 but based on this study, that may prove difficult to achieve.

Moreover, Malaysia has no such goals for EV sales in the near future, but we do have a long term goal and Thailand, which already has an established EV market, also has somewhat similar numbers to what the U.S consumer base actually has, according to the study, at least, but one still has to wonder, how many Malaysians actually want an EV.

A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago set out to determine just how many Americans plan to make the switch to EVs. Keep in mind that the country has had many years now to establish EVs unlike Malaysia.

The results of the poll of 5,408 individuals revealed that 19 percent of adults in the U.S. are “very” or “extremely” likely to purchase an EV for their next vehicle and that 22 percent say it is “somewhat likely.” Meanwhile, some 47 percent of respondents said it is not likely that they will go electric.

On top of that, the study found that 8 percent of Americans say they or someone they live with currently owns or leases an electric vehicle and that just 8 percent say their households have a plug-in hybrid vehicle. Well, EVs are much more affordable and the country has much better infrastructure than us, yet EV sales are barely any better.

The respondents cited a number of factors as to their hesitance in purchasing an EV as their next vehicle. Some 60 percent of them cited the high cost of an EV as a major reason preventing them from making the switch while a further 23 percent cited it as a minor reason. Imagine how shocked they might be to see EV prices here?

Half of the respondents cited a lack of charging stations as a major reason to avoid EVs, 41 percent stated battery technology is a major concern, and 40 percent said they prefer petrol cars, while 38 percent said long charging times were another reason to avoid an EV. All similar reasons as to why many Malaysians can’t own an EV.