Fuel economy continues to be important to most Americans, and a majority support regulations that push automakers to deliver new vehicles that have fewer emissions and cost less to fuel. 96% of American drivers say fuel economy is at least somewhat important to them when considering what vehicle to purchase or lease, and two-thirds (66%) say it is very important or extremely important. Fuel economy is the most common attribute drivers say has the most room for improvement on their vehicle. This result has been consistent across eight nationally representative surveys conducted over nine years. Strong majorities of both Republicans and Democrats agree that automakers should continue to improve fuel economy across vehicle types; that they expect new generations of vehicles to be more fuel-efficient; and that automakers have a responsibility to consumers to improve gas mileage. Almost two-thirds of Americans (64%) agree that the U.S. government should continue to increase fuel-economy standards. Just 27% of Americans agree that automakers care about lowering fuel costs for their customers.

The case study focuses on the 2022 multi-state community benefits agreement (CBA) signed between New Flyer, the largest electric transit bus manufacturer in North America; Jobs to Move America; and the Alabama Coalition of Community Benefits. The CBA encompasses New Flyer facilities in Anniston, Alabama and Ontario, California, but the report focuses on the Alabama facility.

The NEVI Awards Dashboard tracks electric vehicle (EV) charging sites funded by states through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. The State NEVI Action tab shows progress states have made in implementing the NEVI program. The Award Data page provides a comprehensive look at awards announced and site-specific details, whereas the Analysis page allows an in-depth comparison of specific features of the site. The data represented in this dashboard is based on either information provided directly from the state or taken from publicly available sources. The Methodology section below the dashboard has more detail about source and frequency of updates.

The EV Jobs Hub (EVJH) illuminates not only where new electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing jobs are being announced, but also what those jobs will look like. As widespread EV adoption continues to transform the auto industry—powered by historic investments from governments and automakers alike—there is an important opportunity to set a high bar for job quality in the climate-critical auto manufacturing sector. And on this crucial point, the labor and environmental movements are united: new manufacturing jobs in the domestic EV supply chain must be community-sustaining jobs with competitive wages and benefits, in safe and diverse workplaces, and where workers have the free and fair choice to join a union. EVJH can help labor and environmental advocates hold manufacturers and policymakers accountable for delivering on their investments and promises for good, union jobs in the domestic EV industry.

60% of Americans say that the 2024 election results had no impact on their interest in getting an EV. Among electric vehicle owners, 82% want their next vehicle to be an electric vehicle. Among non-electric vehicle owners, 47% would consider an EV for their next vehicle. Cost to buy is the primary factor preventing people from choosing an electric vehicle—48% of people say that cost is a barrier. Cost savings on gas is the main reason for choosing an electric vehicle—52% of EV owners say so, and 60% of non-EV owners say that would be their primary motivation. 50% would choose an electric vehicle without any incentive to lower EV prices.

Americans are growing less convinced that electric vehicles are supposed to be better for the planet than gas cars. The share of car-buying Americans who believe that has gone down by 5 percentage points in the last two years, from 63% to 58%. People who say they are interested in buying an EV, known in the auto industry as "EV considerers," remain solidly convinced that EVs have an environmental benefit. EV sales growth in the U.S. has slowed — in fact, the automotive data giant J.D. Power predicts that EVs as a share of new-car sales just peaked for the year at 9.2%.

Overwhelming majorities nationally and in key swing states support maintaining tax credits for EVs, clean energy, and energy efficiency while limiting offshore drilling. 88% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for residential clean energy production. 89% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new energy-efficient heating or air conditioning systems. 86% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for energy-saving improvements, such as fuel-efficient lighting, doors, windows, or insulation. 70% of Americans support the EPA’s standards requiring new cars and light trucks to get 20-30% more miles per gallon by 2027. 80% of Americans support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for used EVs, and 79% support maintaining or increasing the tax credit for new EVs. 76% of Americans say that the government should either maintain or decrease the current amount of offshore drilling, while only 23% want to increase it.

An analysis of the top 100 EV-related posts on US political pages found that the vast majority of them were critical of the technology. Between January 1 and June 1, 81% of the Facebook posts analyzed were related to sales setbacks, performance or charging issues, or other negative press. These posts had over 1.3 million interactions, accounting for 79% of total interactions related to EVs. Posts related to automakers or car rental companies rolling back their commitments to selling EVs made up over a third of this content. Another popular topic focused on performance issues sometimes exacerbated by cold weather, which made up 20% of posts related to EVs. Nearly three quarters (74%) of EV-related posts on nonaligned pages (neither left-leaning or right-leaning) had a negative framing. These posts generated 83% of all interactions on EV-related posts from nonaligned pages. Out of the top 100 posts related to EVs on right-leaning pages, 95% were negative. Of the negative posts, 43% were related to automakers or car rental companies rolling back their commitments to selling EVs -- these posts earned over 477,000 interactions.

Roughly half of Americans say that they would consider an EV. The percentage of Americans who own EVs has increased in the past year, but so has the share who say that they “would not buy” one. 7% of Americans now report owning an electric vehicle, up three points from last March (4%). The percentage who are “seriously considering” buying an EV has dipped by an equivalent amount, from 12% down to 9%. Taken together, these two shifts suggest that there is a steady share of the population – roughly one-sixth of adults – who either own or are seriously in the market for an EV.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling and research on the EPA's vehicle emissions rules, utilities, and people’s emotional responses to climate change.

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