Cultural attitudes drive the partisan split on electric vehicles, as Democrats and Republicans disagree more about whether electric vehicles are for “people like them” than on any of the specific benefits or downsides of EVs. In this new survey of Americans with household incomes of $50,000 or more (intended to approximate the market for new cars in the U.S.), Democrats and Republicans have very similar answers when asked to name their two greatest concerns about owning an electric vehicle. Below are the top three concerns for each group: Expensive – 60% of Republicans, 59% of Democrats; Insufficient range for trips – 55% of Republicans, 53% of Democrats; Charger networks are unreliable – 42% of Republicans, 43% of Democrats. The one notable difference on this question is that Republicans (29%) are more likely than Democrats (17%) to express concerns that EV batteries are from China or bad for the environment, though the difference here isn’t huge and battery sourcing doesn’t rank among the top concerns for either group. Here are the top rationales for each group when they are asked to name the two best reasons to own an EV: Never paying for gas – 54% of Republicans, 59% of Democrats; Good for environment – 33% of Republicans, 60% of Democrats; Rebate from government – 27% of Republicans, 23% of Democrats; New technology is appealing – 19% of Republicans, 33% of Democrats.

Check out this InsideEVs article for additional reflections and analysis.