Electric Cars Not Enticing Buyers, Dealers Say

As we reported earlier, Americans are mostly moved this election cycle by pain at the gas pump– most notably, the kind of pain experienced as you pay twice as much for gas as you did just a few scant years ago- but fear of fossil fuel expenditures has not turned car buyers on to electric cars just yet, dealers indicate.

Although the market for electric cars is heating up on the supply side, consumer interest is still just tepid. There are several reasons dealers speculate that buyers are not purchasing the gas-saving vehicles in larger numbers, and one is what is referred to as “range anxiety” for electric cars. Electric car models like the Nissan Leaf require charging stations, and a lack of sufficient stations at which to charge makes potential buyers of electric cars antsy- to the point, where’s your local electric car charging station? Have you ever seen one?

Aside from consumer fears that electric cars will leave them stranded after driving a certain distance, there is also the slightly higher to much higher cost electric cars can carry initially- but the Las Vegas Review Journal spoke to a local politician who says that potential electric car purchasers tend to view the sticker price without factoring in cost savings over time when leasing or buying electric cars.

Las Vegas Councilman Bob Coffin told the paper that he’s driven nearly 3,000 miles on an impressive six gallons of gas since he acquired a Chevy Volt back in November. Coffin explains that “operating costs are the key, not the capital cost, and the tax advantage.” (One buyer reported a $7,500 tax credit, which offsets the costs of purchasing electric cars significantly.)

Do you think electric cars just haven’t caught on but will, or will gas prices have to climb way higher before Americans get into driving them?