Most US Drivers Aren’t Buying EVs for the Environment: Polestar

Believe it or not, most of those surveyed want an EV mainly because of those big screens.

byChris Tsui|
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According to a survey commissioned by EV maker Polestar, most U.S. drivers—55 percent, to be exact—would buy EVs mainly for reasons that have nothing to do with the environment.

Instead, the tastiest aspect of EVs among the American driving public is "in-vehicle technology, seamless connectivity, and infotainment system offerings." That's right, folks, not only are we collectively not doing this for the environment, nor are people drawn to electric cars for their famously instant acceleration, but the biggest appeal is the aspect that car enthusiasts and auto journalists on the internet have mostly derided: those big-ass screens.

“The idea of luxury being defined by what’s ‘under the hood’ has been replaced in the electric era with the prioritization of seamless connectivity, integration into existing digital ecosystems, and good UX design,” said Polestar North America boss Gregor Hembrough. “People are switching to electric cars for more than just environmental reasons, and Polestar’s focus on in-vehicle technology means they can have everything they want in an environmentally friendly package.”

Polestar

The Polestar 2 sedan was notably the first car to get a fully Google-developed infotainment system with built-in Google Assistant voice commands and Google Maps. As it happens, we'll have a dedicated infotainment review of that very system here on The Drive soon.

The U.S. driving population, of course, is not a monolith and there are differences in priority and perception among different age groups. Fifty-seven percent of millennials aged 25 to 40 surveyed, for example, responded as being "confident in new electric car brands" such as Polestar versus just 28 percent of baby boomers aged 57 to 75 and 46 percent of all people surveyed.

Predictably perhaps, younger people are also more inclined to cite the environment when it comes to why they have or would like an EV. Gen Z (ages 18 to 24) say the environment is a "big factor" with 12 percent of them saying it is the biggest factor, making them twice as likely as millennials and three times as likely as boomers to say so.

A total of 5,086 random U.S. drivers across all 50 states were surveyed.

Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com

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