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We all know the type: the friend who always has the latest iPhone, the smartest appliances, the fully loaded car. That person has probably been driving an EV for years.
Now, the auto industry faces a trickier proposition: winning over mainstream consumers. These drivers, per a new study by consulting firm Accenture, are less focused on sustainability or having the snazziest tech and more on reliability, safety, and value.
The report, “What Electric Drivers Want,” offers insights into how industry stakeholders can win over this next cohort of EV buyers. Despite recent negativity around EVs, from pared-back production plans to a second Trump administration that’s expected to pump the brakes on electrification, the survey found that the majority of North American consumers—54%—plan to go electric in the next decade. Only 11% said they never would.
“The transition to EVs is facing challenges that demand a deeper understanding of the needs and expectations from car buyers to accelerate the adoption in key markets still lagging behind,” Juergen Reers, Accenture’s global automotive and mobility lead, said in a statement.
The study spanned 6,000 drivers in the US, Germany, Italy, France, China, and Japan.
- Globally, 23% of people who don’t drive an EV right now “see an EV as a realistic purchase within the next five years.”
- But 57% said they expect to have an EV within the next 10 years.
- Early adopters were motivated by environmental considerations and tech enthusiasm, but mainstream consumers care most about reliability, safety, and value.
- In China, 44% of respondents said they plan to own an EV in the next five years; only one-quarter of US respondents said the same.
Charging infrastructure is also an important consideration for buyers, a factor that’s emerged repeatedly in surveys and data. Seventy percent said they “expect to be able to charge their car wherever it is parked.” And underscoring concerns that the industry is shifting too much toward a digital-only purchase experience, 54% of respondents said they still want to consult a car dealer.
The authors recommend that automakers take “a life-centric approach” to developing and selling EVs, with an emphasis on “smart features, charging comfort, and the flexibility of owning an electric vehicle.”
“Has the EV revolution stalled? No,” they wrote. “But it needs a strategic reset. So far, EV manufacturers have successfully catered to tech enthusiasts and eco-conscious pioneers. But mainstream drivers are different.”