Electric cars: Why do owners abandon them and return to natural gas?

A recent McKinsey study found that 46% of Americans who own electric vehicles are likely to switch to a gas-powered vehicle, compared to a global average of 29% of EV owners who said they are likely to switch back to an internal combustion vehicle. engine.

Participants, according to Business Insider, said the main reason for abandoning their electric cars was the lack of charging infrastructure. Other charging issues that top the list included lack of charging at home and the impact of long-distance driving.

Slowing growth in electric vehicle sales has worried everyone from Ford to Tesla

Range concerns and access to charging infrastructure have long been seen as major barriers to electric vehicle adoption, but the realization that these same issues could push current battery-powered car owners back to gas-powered vehicles is a new blow to an already difficult transition away from electric vehicles.

While there are plenty of buyers interested in an electric car, the options are often too large, expensive, or not practical enough to replace a gas-powered car.

Imbalances in electric cars

Car companies are already trying to adapt to the sudden shift in the electric car market to attract more new customers. Slowing growth in electric vehicle sales has worried everyone from Ford to Tesla, driving down sales and forcing executives to rethink their long-term plans for electric vehicles.

While the industry has made great strides in electric vehicles and battery charging times, gaping holes in infrastructure make getting around in some areas nearly impossible without a gas engine.

The McKinsey study found that this problem is particularly acute in the United States, which had the second-highest percentage of respondents who said they were considering giving up their electric car. (Australia was first, with 49% of respondents saying they were likely to return.)

Gas is required in the charging infrastructure.

America’s high spot on the electric car abandonment list should come as no surprise. Charging infrastructure in the United States has long been a hot-button issue, delaying efforts to build more chargers.

Although the auto industry’s push to fund charging infrastructure has led to an explosion of public charging stations over the past couple of years, these companies have largely been losers.

The Biden administration has committed $7.5 billion to charging infrastructure and said it would add 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030. But the effort has moved slowly so far, with only a handful of stations operational since the funding was approved two years ago.