REALLY? AAA Releases Survey Claiming 20% Of New Car Buyers Are Likely Purchase An EV

I would strongly consider an EV, or at least a plug-in hybrid. If I can't have my diesel cars anymore, I'd like something more economical to drive for my next purchase. Since I'm most likely 4-5 years away from any such purchase, there should be a reasonable selection available by then.

When EVs cost the same as ICE cars of comparable function in life, have a recharge time the same as filling a tank of gas, and last as long as a Corolla, let me know.

As long as a Bolt costs twice as much as a Sonic, I'm not buying it.

Don't think you're buying a Sonic either, so...
BTW, the Sonic is apparently no more, but the Bolt EV is still around.

The Sonic IS continuing for 2019 after all. The Sonic/Bolt comparison is that the Bolt is the price of two Sonics. They are the "same" car, so why spend double the price of the Sonic.

I'm not against EVs but they truly aren't ready for prime time yet.

The electric vehicle is good. They're getting better, advancements are a good thing.

I'm thinking the overall marketing for the smaller EV's has been a little jumbled-up lately. The EV was supposed to be an ICE-alternative for urban/suburban commuting. Makes total sense. Travel from A-to-B, the grocery store, & maybe to the nearby park was the chief points of usage. The original EV was intended to be the family's 2nd car - where it would mainly used for only trips throughout the metro areas & not really for city-to-city long-distance travel. The Bolt & many other existing EV's definitely fit within that usage description type.

Enter Tesla. Short trips, long-distance trips, & road-ripping performance - in a single driving package. The definition of the "desirable" EV had changed from a machine of necessity, to a machine that offers fun, entertainment, & is a social celebrity. The Bolt/Leaf/Prius are not those.

I like the Bolt. It looks nice, would definitely fit my weekly commuting habits, & I would be happy driving it. However, I wouldn't consider taking it on long-distance trips to other cities. The hassle & planning for re-charging & depending on hosts to allow me to plug-in isn't very acceptable for MY set of expectations.

The Sonic is a very cheap car. GM put a lot of expensive battery tech in cheaper platform. The Bolt should be like twice the price. I think If there was a Bolt hybrid (gas/electric), I'd definitely get that & more-than-likely make it my main driver for both city & long-distance trips.

If you just ask an average person who doesn’t know/care too much about cars and believes that midsize EVs cost $35,000 due to all the Tesla model 3 hype then you will get a lot of positive answers to that question. Once people take a closer look at the costs then the take rate will drop significantly.

I agree - I believe that most do not even understand how long it takes to recharge these things - much less WHERE to do it - especially if they live in an upstairs apartment with street parking.

THEN - we still do not have an infrastructure that can produce all the power we would need to charge these cars.

Amen @malba2367 and @TomM I agree

Lots of folks like the *idea* of an EV, so if you casually ask them if they'd consider getting one, a fair bit of them will go, "yeah, sure."

But when it comes time to buy, that's when prudent shoppers start doing their homework and realize an EV might not be for you. For example, if you live in the Dakotas, and you're thinking of using your EV in the winter, you might be surprised to learn you need house A/C continuously flowing to your EV to keep the batteries warm, so they can deliver useful charge to drive your car. Cold batteries don't do so well. Yup. Car heater in winter, but requiring more amps ($) than a simple block heater (which most people don't need).

And then when you drive your EV in the cold, part of its battery charge is needed to keep the batteries warm so they can continue to deliver their charge and keep you mobile. And then there's all that electric stuff to keep you warm, like cabin heat, rear window and windshield heat, fans to move warm air around, seat warmers, headlights and windshield wipers, all running off the batteries. Real-world cold-winter use might give you half the EPA-declared estimated range.

And where to recharge? And can you change your driving habits to suit your new car?

This is when lots of folks who were casually "thinking" of getting an EV -- those who show up on optimistic surveys -- decide against getting an EV. Optimistic survey numbers then don't materialize as sales, and some folks wonder why.

Indeed, people often talk the talk but don't walk the walk. From my perspective 20% is disappointingly low.

Have you been listening to the drug-addicted screecher Demi Lovato again?

Go to Oprah. That B give all kinds of crap away.