1 in 5 EV owners ditches electric, goes back to burning dead dinosaurs - California study

[MetroMPG]

(I guess I'm part of the "abandon ship!" group - drove the ForkenSwift for 4 or 5 years but didn't replace it.)


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According to a study of 4000+ EV owners in California between 2012-2018, about 1 in 5 of them either planned to or did go back to internal combustion.


Those who were switching away from EV's...

- Depended on them for their only means of transportation—so essentially people who only had one car


- People who lived in places where home charging was difficult also abandoned electric vehicles at higher rates


- Generally younger, were more likely to rent their living spaces and were less likely to live in a standalone house.



- Women also switched back to gas-powered vehicles at higher rates than men, although the paper offered no concrete suggestion as to why that might be.

https://www.thedrive.com/tech/40407/...red-cars-study

[samwichse]

So... 80% of people who switch away from gas cars don't go back?

Sounds like a pretty great take rate to me.

[freebeard]

Color matched kayaks are nice. Coincidence, or did you make that happen?

[redpoint5]

My completely worthless anecdotal experience is that women are less interested in EV than men. My wife wants nothing to do with them. A super liberal, eat local/organic/free range... Portland friend refused to even consider an EV for her first ever vehicle (she bought my Prius and doesn't plug it in).

Women in general are more conservative with their decision making, probably because evolutionarily their survival is more important than a man's. That translates to wanting the security of long range and plentiful fuel stations, as well as quick refuelling.

... I'm sure gender differences are entirely social constructs though, and have no basis in biology or the evolutionary process.

[MetroMPG]

Why doesn't she plug it your old Prius???


Tell me it's because she doesn't have easy access to a plug.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Why doesn't she plug it your old Prius???


Tell me it's because she doesn't have easy access to a plug.

She tells me it isn't feasible, but really it comes down to not being interested enough to solve some problems. Although she's renting a house, parking is in a driveway (no garage). This presents theft opportunities for the EVSE. She's in the NE Alberta part of Portland, which gets a lot sketchy foot traffic.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Women in general are more conservative with their decision making

It may sound quite weird, but even some so-called "progressist" women actually demand men to display some chivalry when they find it convenient.

[rmay635703]

A few around here went back to gas because of the increased taxes and increased insurance

[ME_Andy]

The one in 5 are probably early Leaf owners.

[RedDevil]

The availability of public chargers today should be way better than in 2012-2018.
Over here 5 years ago public chargers were not that common. Now it is hard to find a parking lot of any size without charging options.

As for women, I guess the physical aspect of plugging in the charge cable may play a role.
I'd still prefer plugging in at a charger over filling up with gas or especially diesel, where the nozzle grips are often contaminated with fuel.
My wife solved that problem by making her husband fill up her car...

The original article is hidden behind a paywall, and The Drive took what it liked and omitted what it didn't like.
Apparently they did not like that the people who went back to gas mainly had been driving an early Nissan Leaf or a Fiat 500e, with battery trouble and small range. Almost all Tesla owners still drive them now.
I'd say that is more of a factor than gender?

The small and cute 500e was mostly bought by women, and its range and boot space are tiny. No wonder they dumped them for another small car with a better range and boot - that then had to be a gas car as the Chevy Spark EV and Mitsubishi iMiEV have the same problems.
The issue is not with women but rather the lack of EVs that suit their needs.

IMHO people mainly move away from EVs when their limitations which make them less useful than comparable gas cars weigh heavier than the advantages like a more silent drive and smooth and instant power delivery.