Among this week’s automotive news was a worrying dispatch from Michigan, in which Ford revealed that demand for its electric F-150 Lightning pickup was lower than expected and the automaker was cutting production on the model accordingly. If you were inclined to play pundit for a moment, there are countless factors you could cite, from a possible backlash to EVs to a lack of charging options. But maybe there’s a simpler explanation: car buyers are still very open to EVs, just in different vehicle classes.
That’s the big takeaway from a new Edmunds survey, which Jonathan M. Gitlin reported on for Ars Technica. Of the people surveyed, 43% were interested in buying an EV sedan, followed by 42% with interest in buying an electric SUV. Fewer potential buyers were considering electric trucks or minivans.
To put it mildly, there’s a gulf between interest in EV sedans and the availability of EV sedans in the United States (or, as one Reddit user phrased it a year ago, “Electric Sedans in the US, do they exist?”) The Edmunds survey also revealed another issue that’s likely slowing adoption of SUVs: potential buyers are looking for affordable options.
Of the people surveyed by Edmunds, Gitlin reports that 47% were looking to spend $40,000 or less on an EV. Finding an electric vehicle in the United States for less than $40,000 isn’t easy, though that category looks like it’s expanding.
Is This the Entry-Level EV Americans Have Been Waiting For?
The Equinox EV 1LT could shake up the marketThe interest in electric sedans from U.S. auto buyers does create an opportunity for the automakers that have embraced that category. Last year, when I spoke with Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO Thomas Schäfer about the announcement of the ID.7, he argued that VW’s own electric sedan “could be an advantage now with the competition — or the missing competition.”
The release of this Edmunds survey data confirms he was on to something. Will other automakers catch up?
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