Electric vehicles: Study finds a cure for range anxiety

A new study¹ from the American Automobile Association has shown that fear of running out of charge or lack of charging stations dissipates quickly for the vast majority of new electric vehicle (EV) owners.

Drivers most often cite EV range (57%) and the limited number of public charging stations (58%) as reasons for not choosing the vehicles. It appears that these fears diminish greatly with use. Range anxiety decreased or disappeared for 77% of new EV owners. Similarly, 70% stopped worrying about charging station accessibility.

As CAA-Quebec’s Automotive Advisory Services experts often tell members with questions about EVs, home is the main charging station. The results of the AAA’s survey speak for themselves: 75% of charges happen at home. The remainder is split between public charging stations (12%) and work (10%).

95% of EV owners have never run out of charge.

The October 1 survey of 1,090 U.S. EV owners found that 95% of respondents have never run out of charge, despite the fact that their mileage is up from when they were burning gas. They drive an average of 63 km per day.

EVs often become drivers’ primary vehicles

In the majority of cases, the EV isn’t the only vehicle in the driveway, but it’s by far the favourite. People who own gas and electric vehicles do 87% of their driving in the latter. So it’s not surprising that 96% of respondents said they’d buy an EV again.

EVs are cheaper in Quebec than the U.S.

The U.S. study also looked into the cost of owning an EV. In the U.S., EVs are often slightly more expensive than gas vehicles, while the opposite is often the case in Quebec. The reason is simple: gas is more expensive in Quebec and electricity is much cheaper. With subsidies—up to $13,000 in Quebec—EVs are often cheaper than gas vehicles when you factor in all costs, as does CAA’s Driving Costs Calculator.

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^{1. Based on a weighted sample of 1,090 respondents selected from a panel of 40,000 U.S. electric vehicle owners who completed a questionnaire on October 1, 2019.}