Rasmussen poll shows why millions of electric cars are only a matter of time

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Rasmussen Reports has just come out with a new poll, a very interesting one that asks Americans about whether they intend to buy an electric vehicle or not. The numbers look very good. Here are a few:

40% say they are likely to buy an electric car within the next decade. Out of this 40%, "only" 14% say this is very likely. For electric vehicles, this "only" 14% means that 35 million vehicle owners think it'll be likely that they'll buy an electric vehicle over the next decade.

No surprise that younger people are more likely to consider an electric vehicle, as are those that make a lot of money.

The other interesting number is that 8% say it's very likely that their next vehicle will be electric. That's 20 million people that think it to be very likely in spite of the fact that there are precious few electric vehicles available at the moment. Some of these may be planning to buy a Tesla, but I suspect a lot of them are waiting for cars like the Nissan Leaf to come out.

Also keep in mind that this is the United States, a geographically large country with a traditional love for SUVs and other large vehicles. When you factor in Europe and Japan, the day where we'll be able to see millions of electric cars on the road is probably closer than many are predicting.

You can also read an article here on some of the changes this will make to infrastructure. While most recharging of these cars will be done at home, quick recharging stations that take between 10 and 45 minutes will still be useful for some. Those going from city to city for meetings over hours or the whole day will be able to recharge at a regular outlet for the trip back, but for a trip from one city to another with a distance just over the range of an average electric vehicle (200 km or so) having these quick charging stations could be a viable idea. The distance from Calgary to Edmonton for example is 300 km, just above the range of most electric cars. A quick recharging station along the highway in the middle, however, would make the trip doable.

No one having to make regular trips from one city to the other will want to purchase an electric vehicle, mind you, but those that might have to use a car to make a trip like this once in a blue moon will not be forced to go with a gasoline-powered car if these quick recharging stations are available. For a corridor like this you would really only need one.


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