No Rush to Buy Electric Cars: Survey

(Newsroom America) -- Gasoline prices are on the rise again but even as they surpass $3 a gallon for the second time in three years, most Americans aren't ready to give up their fossil-fuel cars yet.

A new survey by Rasmussen Reports found that less than one-third of adults - 27 percent - say they think it's likely they'll be purchasing an electric vehicle within the next 10 years. That's down from 40 percent in August 2009, the polling firm said.

Meanwhile, about two-thirds, or 64 percent, said they won't be buying an electric car. Just 10 percent said it was "very likely" the would make such a purchase, said Rasmussen.

While environmentalists tout electric vehicles as a way to curb greenhouse gas emissions, Rasmussen said nearly half (49 percent) of those who are considering an electric car are doing so because of escalating gas prices, while just 26 percent say they are considering it because of the environment.

The survey comes on the heels of President Obama's State of the Union address in which he said the country should embrace cleaner fuels and begin to transition away from oil as a primary energy source.

"We’ll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology - an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people," Obama said, emphasizing electric cars as the way to a cleaner future.

Some carmakers have developed hybrid models that operate on gasoline and electricity. Other models, like Nissan's Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt, are completely electric.

And a pair of Michigan Democrats - Rep. Sander Levin and Sen. Carl Levin - have proposed doubling a current program giving consumers $7,500 in tax incentives to purchase electric vehicles, which could amount to as much as $19 billion in tax credits for consumers over the next 10 years.

Rasmussen said separate surveys indicate that most Americans favor "developing clean, environmentally friendly sources of energy," but that most aren't willing to pay for such development.

Republicans say such innovation should come naturally from the private sector, not the federal government.

© 2010 Newsroom America.

Contact Jon E. Dougherty

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