[Shuto]

Survey says for millennials it's yes to cars, no to electric ones. This comes per Continental AGs 2015 Mobility Study.

Contrary to the common trope 84% of respondents between 16 and 25 believe driving is important, 76% of them are driving in some capacity everyday. Imagine that.

Interestingly 94% of all respondents said they owned their vehicles, while only 1% said they had a preference for car sharing services. Now we may be dealing with statistical bias here. Continental is a tire company and I'm willing to bet the Survey was sent to people who have bought Conti tires in the last year (they never sent me one even though I shod my Miele with fresh Gatorskins last fall) which would certainly explain the huge skew towards ownership.

Continuing to be contrary, 'greener', electrified mobility does not find favour. 71% of Americans think EV's are green, 31% think they're fun to drive, 38% appreciate their designs and 27% think they're sporty. These cars have an image problem, probably brought on by the demagogic Prius crowd that carried the mail for years before Elon made it cool-ish.

But even worse for the affordable EV aficionados is that 21% of 31 to 59 year olds think EV's are a viable form of transportation and 24% of 16 to 30 year olds plan to use EV's over the next decade. This would seem influenced by high sticker prices and range anxiety.

This raises an interesting question, are cars like the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 entering a uninterested market? They will certainly solve the cost factor to a degree (still millenials will buy used until they pull down significant money) but range anxiety will still be an issue. In Urban settings where millennials are found most, apartment dwelling is the norm meaning storage for EV infrastructure is not possible. Exacerbating the problem somewhat paradoxically is that a short commute time renders the EV superfluous and a longer commute reduces viability further...

Source: Continental AG

 

[volta]

Electric cars still have this thing where they really embrace being high-tech and environmentally friendly. You see it in everything from the design to the marketing. I think that they have to do away with this. I should want to buy the EV because it is an awesome car. It doesn't have to have bits on it that are battery inspired and stuff like that.

 

[Roth33d]

As more affordable and attractive EV's make their way to market along with infrastructure to support charging vehicles, then they'll take more intereest in EV's

 

[Raymondjram]

What is a "Millennial"? If that person was born after 2000, then they are not old to drive yet in almost all the fifty states and territories, where 16 is the minimum age to drive. The subject of this thread is misleading but expected. But if the EV producers use the "mobile electrical device" as a marketing tool, then they will win the newest driving generation, since an EV is the only "mobile electrical device" that moves the owner! And there is no problem with the " infrastructure to support charging vehicles" because every electrical outlet is a "charging port" (the EVSE is just an intelligent extension), and every "mobile electricsl device" uses the same "charging ports"!

 

[volta]

What is a "Millennial"? If that person was born after 2000, then they are not old to drive yet in almost all the fifty states and territories, where 16 is the minimum age to drive. The subject of this thread is misleading but expected. But if the EV producers use the "mobile electrical device" as a marketing tool, then they will win the newest driving generation, since an EV is the only "mobile electrical device" that moves the owner! And there is no problem with the " infrastructure to support charging vehicles" because every electrical outlet is a "charging port" (the EVSE is just an intelligent extension), and every "mobile electricsl device" uses the same "charging ports"!

Millennials are not people born after 2000, the range is much larger than that. Millennials are mostly young adults right now. Birth years range from the early 1980s to the early 2000s depending on who you talk to.

I think that this generation is more interested in the technology in the car for entertainment and convenience than the technology that makes the car actually go. Either way, I think they still do care about fuel efficiency.

 

[Roth33d]

Fuel efficiency is hard not to care about especially since at one point we've seen how high gas prices can get which is bound to happen again, plus why spend more than you have to if you're commuting.

 

[volta]

The funny thing is that I came across this article today that it titled, "Study shows EV buyers are young, welthy".

Seems to be the opposite message of what we have been talking about here.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/study-shows-ev-buyers-are-young-wealthy-88427.html

 

[Roth33d]

That would bring into question the type of people the first article factored in, their income bracket, etc. and compare it to the article from LLN.

 

[Shuto]

The funny thing is that I came across this article today that it titled, "Study shows EV buyers are young, welthy".

Seems to be the opposite message of what we have been talking about here.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/study-shows-ev-buyers-are-young-wealthy-88427.html

LOL that article is pure clickbait. Younger is the difference betwen 43 and 46.

For example, a typical buyer for a gas-power Ford Focus is 46 and has an average household income of $77,000 per year. However, the average Focus Electric buyer is just 43 and has an annual household income of $199,000.

Similarly, the gas version of the Fiat 500 draws buyers with an average age of 47 and a household income of $73,000 per year, but buyers of the battery-powered 500e are usually 45 with an annual household income of $145,000.

It doesn't disprove the first study, infact it strengthens it. You can discern from the age and income stats that their EV purchase is most likely for commuting purposes and commuting only. The first study shows millenials arent buying EV's partly because they don't have a place to store/charge and the range cannot satisfy their needs. Because they have lower incomes its a choice between a car that only does some of what you need (EV) and a car that does all of what you need (ICE).

Basically you only buy an EV if you don't need one.

 

[volta]

I guess the age difference is pretty minimal, but the wealth disparity is pretty stark. Average income is literally twice as high for EV buyers. Companies need to figure out how to get people with less money to buy EVs. Obvious answer is to build cheaper EVs.

 

[Roth33d]

I guess the age difference is pretty minimal, but the wealth disparity is pretty stark. Average income is literally twice as high for EV buyers. Companies need to figure out how to get people with less money to buy EVs. Obvious answer is to build cheaper EVs.

Slowly it's getting their, clearly with the Bolt and Tesla is coming online with a $30k model.

EV's positioned at the $30k mark will get far more people into them.

 

[Dr.G]

I'm a "Millenial", and I'm interested in the Bolt. I guess I'm ahead of my brethren.

 

[Shuto]

I guess the age difference is pretty minimal, but the wealth disparity is pretty stark. Average income is literally twice as high for EV buyers. Companies need to figure out how to get people with less money to buy EVs. Obvious answer is to build cheaper EVs.

no its not at all. Again no matter what the car costs people will not purchase it if it cannot satisfy their needs. Even if they halved the cost of an EV most families still wouldn't buy it as it leaves them without reliable range and seating for the entire family.

Like I said above they're being bought as secondary commuter cars which is why you see the massive disparity in income levels. a household making $70K between two parents isn't going to laydown $25K for a 'cheap' EV and then another $10 on a used Corolla to do other stuff. They're going to spend $35K ONCE on one car that will take care of them...

 

[volta]

no its not at all. Again no matter what the car costs people will not purchase it if it cannot satisfy their needs. Even if they halved the cost of an EV most families still wouldn't buy it as it leaves them without reliable range and seating for the entire family.

Like I said above they're being bought as secondary commuter cars which is why you see the massive disparity in income levels. a household making $70K between two parents isn't going to laydown $25K for a 'cheap' EV and then another $10 on a used Corolla to do other stuff. They're going to spend $35K ONCE on one car that will take care of them...

I think that range anxiety is part of it, but not all of it. I think the other part is affordability. I suppose addressing both issues at the same time would really be the silver bullet.

 

[Roth33d]

The other thing is, how much better it is than what's already out there?
You can buy gasoline engine vehicle that get MPG's into the high 30's and low 40's which for some folks is a big improvement, plus some of these cars are CHEAP already and cheap to own

 

[Shuto]

I think that range anxiety is part of it, but not all of it. I think the other part is affordability. I suppose addressing both issues at the same time would really be the silver bullet.

The other thing is, how much better it is than what's already out there?
You can buy gasoline engine vehicle that get MPG's into the high 30's and low 40's which for some folks is a big improvement, plus some of these cars are CHEAP already and cheap to own

No range anxiety is not the problem at all and focusing on it will only lead to more frustration. Most gas cars don't go much beyond 200 miles either, but the difference is with a gasser you can jump pump it fill of go-juice in 7 minutes and be on your way, once your EV is out, you're out...

So its not so much range anxiety but range replenishment angst...

 

[Dr.G]

So its not so much range anxiety but range replenishment angst...

That's a new term to me, nice.

How many long road trips does everyone here really take each year anyway? For me, they are so few that I can rent a car for those trips.

If I'm traveling any significant distance, I'm flying, not driving.