For the last few weeks, we’ve been running a sidebar survey about how much Electrek readers think gas would need to cost to convince the most dedicated anti-EV hysterics to switch to a plug-in car. After receiving over 2,800 responses, here’s what you told us.
In case you missed the survey, the question read, “As gas and diesel prices rise, more and more Americans are shopping for new and used EVs and hybrids. Think of the most stubborn anti-EV hysteric you know – how much would a gallon of gas or diesel have to cost for them to make the switch?”
After seven days and over 2,800 responses, the numbers seem to indicate that Electrek readers don’t have much faith in their ICE-loving neighbors – but a second look may reveal something more nuanced.
By the numbers
The most surprising result was that almost half of respondents think there’s simply no price high enough to reach some drivers. Our readers believe these drivers are simply too far gone, lost down some internal combustion rabbit hole oil well and fully committed to ICE, even as the cost of fuel climbs above $10/gal.
The best part? They’re not citing theory – they’re citing real-world experience from time spent in a country where gas is already over $11/gal!
I know I cannot really comment on this, since I’m in Europe (the Netherlands)… but…
our current E10 liter price is € 2,56, current dollar exchange rate 1,17 USD = 1 EUR and one gallon is 3.78541 liter of petrol. Which makes our current petrol price in your freedom units a whopping $ 11,34 per gallon.
So…. my current electricity KWH price is about $ 0,30 per KWH or $ 0,00 when produced with solar panels.I drive about 50 miles per gallon with my current plug in hybrid or 3.2 miles per KWH. I would need approx 16 kwh to get the equivalent of a gallon. Which makes electricity cost about $ 4,8 vs the $ 11,34 in petrol.
At what price will the most ardent ICE support switch? Here in Europe, that point was about 5 years ago. And since they haven’t, I suspect they will never switch, unless forced by our (socialist) governments.
Another reader pointed an economics-driven reason to wait that has more to do with the price of a new vehicle than pain at the pump:
I love EVs, but as long as my current paid off car works, I’ll probably keep using it. Even if my fuel costs go from $90 up to $200 per month it’s still cheaper for me to keep what I have rather than buy one of the EVs available to me currently (new or used).
When my car stops being reliable, then the math changes and I’ll go buy an EV. (most likely used)
Other readers pointed out that the switch wouldn’t necessarily be driven gas prices reaching a certain high, but by the belief that they’ll stay above a certain high – and whether the rising cost of electricity will diminish the impact of rising gas prices.
It depends on whether people think the prices will stay that high. With the current price spike, everyone assumes the prices will come down again. And a car can last for 20 years now.
Also, it depends on what people expect the electricity prices to be in the future. Electricity rates are going up much faster than gas prices.
I tend to agree with Erik, in principle – but he seems to be forgetting one of the biggest advantages of electric vs. fossil fuel: the ability to make your own.
That’s a significant advantage that can not only provide protection against rising utility rates, but one that can come to your rescue if you’re ever stuck off the gird for extended periods – as this Tesla driver discovered while stranded in the Atacama desert.
And, while that’s an extreme case of survival, making your own electric fuel can be an every day experience, as GM Energy’s Jim Reilly discovered. “This is Energy Dominance,” he said, describing life with a home solar panel system, home battery, and EV. “I own the refinery and the delivery system. While the world reacts to the price at the pump, my costs are a flat line. Are you looking at solar and an EV as an expense, or are you ready to lock in your energy costs for the next few decades?”
In that light, comments about the rising costs of electricity may seem like a bit of a stretch from an ICE absolutist. Or, more generously, a lack of imagination.
Either way, it seems like the prevailing sentiment is that some people won’t ever hang up the keys to their internal combustion-powered rides. Not willingly, at least – and maybe the way the rest of us deal with that reluctance should be the topic for the next survey.
Original content from Electrek.
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