The Reason Most Americans Are Choosing Electric Vehicles Might Surprise You
The reason American drivers are choosing EVs isn’t environmental concerns.
Electric vehicles
have been the latest and greatest trend in the automotive world over the past few years—and for a good reason. Electric-powered vehicles are great for the environment, because they don’t release harmful fossil fuels into the air like gas-powered vehicles do. Plus, they usually require less maintenance
than fuel-powered cars.But, according to the
Jerry
2022 State of the American Driver Report, neither of those things are the top reason drivers have been choosing electric vehicles at such a rapid pace. Can you guess the number one reason Americans are purchasing electric vehicles?What’s the reason people are choosing electric vehicles?
The answer here is one word—money. According to Jerry data, a third of Americans surveyed say they never expect to drive an electric vehicle in their lifetimes, while half of Americans surveyed expect to do so within the next 10 years.
And the reason isn’t to slow down climate change. American drivers aren’t motivated to purchase electric vehicles by environmental concerns, instead they’re motivated by saving money on the cost of gas.
Jerry data also found that millennials are most likely to purchase an electric vehicle, followed closely by Generation Z, a generation specifically motivated by the trendiness of electric vehicles.
How can electric vehicles save you money?
The findings resulting from the Jerry data check out—electric vehicles can save drivers money. But, that does depend on a number of factors. Typically, electric vehicles cost more upfront than gas-powered vehicles, but that money is made back overtime due to low charging fees as opposed to gas prices.
That means, it’s likely you’ll be losing money on the initial purchase of an electric vehicle over a gas vehicle, then work your way up to breaking even and eventually saving in fuel costs. The longer you have an electric vehicle, the more you save.
A
Consumer Reports
study found that the fuel savings alone from an electric vehicle can total $4,700 or more in the first seven years of ownership. The same study found the typical savings over the life of most electric vehicles ranges from $4,000 to $10,000. But, the cost of charging depends on where you live, and could be higher in some places compared to others.And, as
CNBC
points out, electric vehicles have fewer parts than gas-powered vehicles, so they tend to have less maintenance costs. Again, this is variable and depends on the exact car you get, but is another thing to think about when purchasing an electric vehicle. Other benefits of electric vehicles
In addition to the potential to save you money, electric vehicles provide a
variety of other benefits to drivers
. First, they’re much better for the environment than gas-powered vehicles, and the mass use of electric vehicles across the world has the potential to slow climate change. Saving money while helping the environment sounds like a win-win to us.Plus, electric vehicles often have better performance for the same reason they have lower maintenance costs—they contain fewer parts. Fewer parts means the manufacturer can focus more on each individual piece and there’s less potential for things to go wrong under the hood. Most electric vehicles function like a well-oiled machine.
Lastly, electric vehicles also have the potential to earn you
tax credits and rebates
, which means cash from your initial purchase is back quicker in your wallet. 
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