Poll: Two-thirds of Americans unwilling to pay premium for electric vehicles

The vast majority of Americans want to save money on fuel and are more than eager to do their part to help out the environment, but a recent Nielsen poll shows that most are unwilling to pay even a slight premium for a vehicle that promises to eliminate fuel use and motor down the road emissions free.

A September poll of more than 2,300 people shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans wouldn't be willing to pay more to drop their gasoline-powered vehicle in favor of an electric. Only 17 percent of those polled would pay a $5,000-plus premium to drive a battery-powered auto. Of course, this doesn't bode well for cars like Coda's $44,900 electric sedan, which is priced considerably higher than a comparable gas-fueled vehicle.

The outlook in the UK is equally as dim. Only 24 percent of consumers across the pond are willing to drop more coin for an EV and a mere 10 percent would dish out a $5,000 premium to go the battery-powered route. With electric vehicles hitting the roads soon, we'll quickly find out if the numbers from this poll, and several other recent studies, turn out to be true.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]