Barriers to Electric Vehicle Ownership

Barriers to Electric Vehicle Ownership

Sept 17, 2021

Consumers don’t want to change their driving habits or preferred type of vehicles when switching to electric cars. If they’re used to driving a pickup truck and need to use it to transport or tow heavy loads, they need to be sure that their EV will meet those needs just as well (if not better) than a gas car would.  

Driving experience and performance have to meet expectations. Good acceleration, ability to pass cars at highway speeds, responsiveness, low charge loss in very cold weather, etc. all matter to consumers.  

A reasonable range is also a significant factor in purchasing choices. Consumers expect their EVs to drive long distances and not only in cities, where charging stations are available.  

And although at least two-thirds of American drivers are open to buying an EV, various surveys show that an EV’s purchase price and driving range are the biggest hurdles for consumers (with not enough charging stations also making a significant influence on purchasing decisions).  

If vehicle energy efficiency could increase and extend driving range by even 15%-20%, it would impact the so-called “range anxiety” and help consumers chose EVs more readily. 

Government action can jumpstart charging infrastructure and even address the needs of the electric grid to support it. Consumer preferences are harder to handle because legitimate needs drive the type of vehicle consumers purchase. This determines the battery pack specifications for a given EV. Technology and manufacturing scale determine the cost of the batteries.  

Therefore, with the many changes necessary to make the inevitable transition to electric propulsion meaningful and successful, one main problem needs to be addressed because it affects efficiency, costs, and longevity of the vehicles. And that problem is battery packs.  

This blog post is an excerpt from Driving EVs to Profitability. To read more, you can request a download.