The growing partisan divide in Congress over policy spending related to electric vehicles may not be in line with reality.
That’s one of the potential conclusions from a national poll released Monday by the Zero Emissions Transport Association (ZETA), a trade advocacy group representing the industry around electric vehicles. .
The poll, which gathered responses last month, found broad bipartisan support for what it called “smart policies designed to increase electric vehicle use”. According to ZETA, 79% of voters support consumer incentives that help reduce the price of electric vehicles, and 69% of voters would support federal, state, and local investments in charging infrastructure. tram.
Support political party EV charger infrastructure. – ZETA
It also found that one in five US car owners would “definitely choose” an EV as their next purchase, while another 27% would “strongly consider” an EV — more nearly half of vehicle owners would love to go all-electric as a follow-up vehicle.
The biggest difference between Republican and Democratic views seems to lie in the effect EVs have on jobs and the economy. The survey said that 83% of Democrats see EVs as having a positive impact, while 27% of GOP respondents believe that EV adoption will have a negative impact.
Impacts of EV adoption through government linkage. – ZETA
The poll, conducted February 14-22, surveyed 1,000 “potential voters who are also vehicle renters or owners,” with the aim of reflecting a variety of demographics, including including “national ideology and geographical distribution”.
Respondents also made a consistent assertion that electric vehicles in general are now considered “cooler” than gas-powered vehicles – elevating a previous public impression that may have been reserved only for Tesla.
ZETA says the results are proof that policymakers who support policies around electric vehicle adoption are on the side of public opinion. “By accelerating the pace of electric vehicle adoption in the United States, the federal government will fight climate change, strengthen our public health, create create good-paying jobs and great cost savings for American consumers.” .
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning pre-production
This may not sound like news if you’ve been following EVs for a long time. The energy independent aspects used to attract Republicans and Democrats were almost equal. decade ago, As recently as 2019, a survey from Climate Nexus showed that 77% of Americans view EVs positively—Not much variation among political parties.
Federal EV tax credit extension and extension in 2019 have bipartisan support before it was cut out of the federal spending bill due to “Extreme resistance” from the Trump administration. Trump also Criticize GM .’s strategy to transition to more electric cars, saying that “all-electric won’t work”.
Although the engine is always different. In 2009, we reported that Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-1 in buying hybrids like the Prius.
Toyota Prius 2009
There have been some indications in the past that the American public is not necessarily as polarized as politicians are portraying. Several Pew polls conducted in 2021 show that Americans are mostly based on the environmental value of EVs and largely favor the expansion of renewable energy. And back in 2017, the Brookings Institution pointed out that America’s position on climate change has remained essentially unchanged since the Bush administration.
Even so, Democrats have not bluffed in exaggerating the division, as many have done “No climate, no deal” a spell (or ultimatum) in negotiating the details of the Biden infrastructure bill, which initially included more provisions for EV and renewable energy infrastructure.
Is Congress exaggerating our divisions over EV incentives and spending on renewables? Leave us your comments below.
