Electric vehicles are slowly (but surely) becoming mainstream. With this in mind, Ford commissioned an independent global survey conducted by PSB, a global research and analytics consultancy firm. The survey covered over 3,000 people across the USA, Europe, and China. The goal is to reveal what a majority of the buying public really feel about shifting from a gasoline-powered to an electric car, and the results will surprise you.
People expect EVs to replace gasoline-powered cars in the near future
This is a reality we all have to face. But surprisingly, even though people expect EVs to replace internal combustion in the near future, certain misconceptions are preventing them from switching to all-electric vehicles any time soon. Some people think EVs are no good to drive in winter or snowy conditions, while other people have doubts if EVs are capable enough to perform tougher tasks like hauling, towing, and heavy-duty use.
“There remains a gap between what an electric vehicle can do and what customers believe they can do,” said Ted Cannis in his medium blog. Cannis is the Global Director for Electrification at the Ford Motor Company. “This perception gap was evident when we made headlines by demonstrating that our all-electric F-150 prototype could tow more than 1 million pounds,” he continued. “Many were shocked just how capable an electric vehicle can be.”
Cannis is referring to survey results where over 67-percent of Americans and 68-percent of Europeans were hesitant that electric vehicles are capable of towing heavy loads. Ford believes electrification should come with zero compromises, and they proved this by releasing a video of an electric F-150 towing a million-pound load.
Almost 80-percent of Americans would shy away from an EV for extreme weather use
Water and electricity don’t mix. With this in mind, it’s easy to understand people’s doubts on how EVs perform in severe or extreme weather, but this should not be the case. The largest bulk of EV sales in Europe came from Norway with more than 35,000 EVs sold in the first half of 2019. And if you know anything about Norway, it’s a country with chilly winters reaching minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit.
In order to debunk this myth, Ford is investing in bigger batteries and better software for its next lineup of all-electric vehicles. This ensures the vehicle is always up to the task whether in extreme hot or cold weather.
42-percent of Americans think electric vehicles still need gas to run properly
You may think this is funny, but can you really blame people for thinking this way? Manufacturers have been offering hybrids, plug-in-hybrids (PHEV), and electrified versions of normal cars for many years now. Understandably, this fact is the primary source of confusion and all the misconceptions surrounding EVs.
But to answer the question, electric vehicles are powered by built-in batteries. EVs only run on electricity and don’t need gasoline, diesel, or biofuel to run. Ford’s latest survey revealed 80-percent of U.S. electric vehicle owners charge their vehicles at home and many have never visited a public charging station.
90-percent of Americans and Europeans don’t believe fast acceleration is a benefit of electric vehicles
Yes, electric vehicles are mightily quick. Does the Tesla name ring a bell? However quick or agile EVs are compared to conventional gas or diesel-fed vehicles, all those zero to sixty times are nothing but a novelty. We like the sensation of being pushed to the seat as we step on the accelerator pedal, but we don’t drive like that all the time, do we? Ford is addressing this concern by proving the EVS can be thrilling and amazing to drive, even if it doesn’t accelerate like a sports car on steroids.
It’s good to know that car companies like Ford are trying to understand the buyer’s perceptions of electric vehicles. We certainly agree with Ford in saying proper education is the only way to help prove electric vehicles are, indeed, the future of motoring.