Nolte: Gallup Poll Shows Growing Backlash Against Electric Vehicles

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Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

The latest polling from Gallup shows that public support for transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) has dropped by quite a lot since 2023.

Normal People are not surprised by this.

“Seven percent of Americans, up from 4% a year ago, report that they own an electric vehicle,” reports Gallup.

BUT.

“That increase is matched by an equal decline in the percentage saying they are seriously considering buying one, from 12% to 9%.”

“Meanwhile, fewer Americans — 35%, down from 43% in 2023 — say they might consider buying an EV in the future,” the report adds. “Thus, even as some people have moved ahead with their intent to buy an EV in the past year, public demand for the cars has contracted.”

And here’s where things get really ugly…

“[L]ess than half of adults, 44%, now say they are either seriously considering or might consider buying an EV … down from 55% in 2023[.]”

Those who never intend to buy an EV jumped from 41 to 48 percent.

This fairly dramatic change occurred over a single year. Generally, a movement of this size occurs over several years, not one.

So what changed?

Well, the idea of owning an EV is much more appealing than the reality. With the help of the corrupt corporate media, the Biden administration put the pedal to the metal to create a bandwagon effect around the EV, mainly as a way to distract people from Biden’s sky-high gas prices. For a while, it worked. Everyone gave the EV serious thought. This increased purchases and interest. What likely happened from there, between 2023 and 2024, is that people began to research EVs and discovered the truth about how impractical they are.

First, there’s the upfront cost to purchase an EV. Maintenance can cost a lot more if you need a repair. The weight of an EV eats through tires faster, and tires are not cheap. Finally, there’s the risk and inconvenience. You always have to worry about finding a charging station, then you have to worry if the station is operable, then you have to worry if there’s a line, then you have to wait around for about an hour for your vehicle to charge.

What is the upside?

Personally, I don’t see it.

If you have the money, an EV is a nice status symbol.

No one will be surprised that something else Gallup found is that EVs are more attractive to those who make six-figure incomes.

If you have a regular commute that doesn’t deviate, an EV might make sense because you know you will make it back home to plug back in before you run out of juice.

Nevertheless, and by design, my life is as routine as it gets, but over the weekend, I had to drive seven hours to and fro for an appearance on Timcast IRL. The drive was exhausting enough without having to worry about finding a charging station. The drive was long enough without having to wait for a charge.

EVs make no sense to me, and I don’t see how they help the environment when most of the electricity used to charge them comes from burning fossil fuels—not that I believe the whole Climate Change argument.

The EV sales boom is tapering off because pretty much everyone who wanted an EV purchased one. I don’t see the EV becoming mainstream until charging is as fast and convenient as gassing up.

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