A major obstacle to selling EVs

“There is one thing holding the nation back from the dream of an allelectric future: political polarization,” said Shannon Osaka. A recent Gallup poll found that 61 percent of Democrats are opening to buying an electric vehicle in the future, while 69 percent of Republicans say they would not buy an EV, ever. That huge disparity exists because GOP leaders, including Donald Trump, “have injected electric vehicles into the culture wars,” denouncing them as un-American and unmanly—a vehicle that only liberals would drive. After the Biden administration announced its plan to push carmakers to rapidly ramp up electric-car sales, Republican leaders started calling EVs “Biden-mobiles” and charged that “Democrats are taking away Americans’ right to choose which cars they drive.” These complaints arise from a “deep-seated psychological worldview” that’s hostile to change and new technology. As a result,

EVs now sell mostly in Democratic areas. Cars have become “not just a way to get around but a form of personal expression, identity, and group membership.” Unfortunately, once partisan buying trends start, “they become calcified.” If Republicans continue to disdain EVs, “it will be almost impossible for the U.S. to meet its climate goals.”