NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric cars – encompassing the full battery of products ranging from traditional hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles – have seen some impressive benchmarks come and go in recent years. 2013 and 2014 each saw sales for this segment exceeding the half-million mark, and 2015 is on track for a repeat. As of the end of July, nearly 290,000 vehicles with a battery generating at least some of their momentum have been sold in the U.S., including nearly 120,000 plug-in models (whether pure electrics or plug-in hybrids). But while that is indisputably a lot of vehicles, 2015 sales numbers to date still represent the same 3% of total U.S. vehicle sales seen in 2012, before some major players joined the charge. But what might lie ahead for the segment? Just under half of American car owners (or anticipated owners) say they'd consider a traditional hybrid the next time they're in the market for a new vehicle (48%, identical to 2013 findings); lower consideration levels were recorded for plug-in vehicles, whether they be hybrids (29%, up 2 percentage points) or pure electrics (21%, also up 2 points). An additional two in ten would consider a diesel (19%, up 3 points), while 35% would consider a smaller or gas powered vehicle to save on operating costs (down 3 points). These are among the findings from a Harris Poll of 2,225 U.S. adults (aged 18 and older) surveyed online from May 20-26, 2015. Full results of this study, including data tables, can be found here. Most of these vehicles appeal more to some groups than to others: Barriers for electric vehicle considerationWhen asked to select their top concerns related to pure electric vehicles, price (67%) and range (64%) rise to the top, followed by repair/maintenance costs (58%), reliability (53%), performance/power (50%) and the fact that it's still new technology (42%). What does this mean? Well, for one thing it means that American drivers' top concern when considering a new vehicle – reliability, which 93% rate "very important" – is not among the top barriers standing in the way of electric car adoption. But money talks: in addition to being the top barrier to electric car adoption, purchase cost is the second most important consideration when looking at a new vehicle (with 81% considering it very important). Right now hybrids and electrics still come at a premium when shopped against otherwise comparable vehicles, but those comparative costs are slowly going down. Time will tell whether this might lead to stronger sales. To see other recent Harris Polls, visit us at TheHarrisPoll.com Want Harris Polls delivered direct to your inbox? Click here! MethodologyThis Harris Poll was conducted online, in English, within the United States between May 20 and 26, 2015 among 2,225 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll. Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The Harris Poll® #50, August 19, 2015By Larry Shannon-Missal, Managing Editor, The Harris Poll About The Harris Poll® Begun in 1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded throughout the world. The nationally representative polls, conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions, behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology, sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For more information, or to see other recent polls, please visit our new website, TheHarrisPoll.com. Press Contact:Corporate CommunicationsThe Harris Poll585-272-8400[email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO SOURCE The Harris Poll http://www.harrisinteractive.com
A new national survey of 2,225 US adults has found that 48 % of American car owners ( or car owners ) would consider a traditional hybrid the next time they are in the market for a new vehicle , a result identical to 2013 findings . Harris suggests lower consideration rates for plug - in vehicles , whether they be plug - in hybrids ( 27 % , up 2 percentage points ) or pure electrics ( 21 % , also up 2 points ) .