Electric vehicles (EVs) are the future. Automakers are increasingly replacing their gasoline-powered lineups with EVs, the U.S. government is debating whether to throw its financial might into building out more EV infrastructure, and electric utilities are building charging networks. But about one in five California EV drivers plan to switch back to gasoline-powered cars when it comes time to replace their electric cars, according to a survey.
Published in the journal Nature Energy, the study examines 4,160 buyers who purchased an EV in California between 2012 and 2018. The findings show that 20% of plug-in hybrid owners and 18% of battery electric vehicle owners say their next purchase will be a gasoline-powered car.
Respondents report many reasons for their plan to go back to gas, but a few patterns emerge. Owners planning to go back to gas-powered cars are younger than those planning to stick with electricity. They are more likely to rent than own homes. And they are more likely to live in apartments than in free-standing houses.
Lack of Level 2 Charging an Issue
Those who rent and live in apartment buildings generally can’t install 240-volt Level 2 chargers. Recharging an EV without one takes dramatically longer. Thus, the simplest explanation here could be that it’s hard to find reliable charging when you can’t own your own charger.
Owners who own only one car are more likely to make the change. This suggests that having a second car reduces the range anxiety associated with limited charging opportunities. Women are more likely than men to report a desire to switch back to gas, which…ok, we have no theories on that one.
It’s worth noting that the owner experience ends in 2018. Both the number of available electric cars and the number of available chargers have increased since then. It’s also limited to California. While the state has a higher number of chargers than most, it also has far more EVs than most. Other states have more charging points per electric vehicle.
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