Ford and General Motors have tapped the brakes on plans to roll out all-electric fleets and are starting to shift toward hybrids as the EV adoption curve flattens out.
And they may have picked just the right time to do it.
AAA’s latest annual survey of consumer interest found a significant shift away from EVs.
Just 18% of respondents said they were likely to buy an electric vehicle, which was down from 23% last year and 24% in 2022. Meanwhile the percent of consumers who were unlikely to buy an EV grew from 51% in 2022 and 53% in 2023 to 63% this year
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“Early adopters who wanted an EV already have one,” AAA director of automotive research Greg Brannon said in a press release on the study.
“The remaining group of people who have yet to adopt EVs consider the practicality, cost, convenience, and ownership experience, and for some, those are big enough hurdles to keep them from making the jump to fully electric.”
The main factors that are causing consumers to shy away are the same ones that have been hounding EVs for years: range anxiety and a lacking infrastructure for charging.
Three out of 10 said specifically that they are unable to install their own home charging system where they live.
Meanwhile, 31% of respondents they were likely to buy a hybrid as their next vehicle, with no worries about range or charging being the main factors behind their preference.
Ford delayed two major electric vehicles — a pickup and a three-row SUV — to focus on ramping up its hybrid offerings. It currently offers hybrid versions of the Maverick, F-150, Escape, Lincoln Corsair and Lincoln Nautilus to consumers.
The only hybrid in GM’s lineup today is the Corvette E-Ray, which is focused on performance rather than fuel efficiency.
It has announced plans to reintroduce plug-in hybrids to its lineup starting in 2027, but has not yet said which models will be available.
GM continues to launch new electric vehicle models, however, with the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Blazer EV and Silverado EV plus the Cadillac Optiq and Escalade IQ among those hitting the road this year.