Good news for those hoping for a greener world: Harris Interactive recently completed a poll of around 10,000 American consumers and found that as much as 27 percent of U.S. vehicle owners say they are likely, very likely or extremely likely to include plug-in hybrid engine technology in their next vehicle purchase.
Now, a quarter of respondents may not sound like enough to get all excited about, but consider that plug-in hybrids, designed to run entirely on electricity, at least for short trips at lower velocities, have never been available in the U.S. market in notable volume, except for General Motors' brief experiment with its late 1990s EV1 car.
History also has shown that consumers tend to underestimate their usage and adoption of products and technologies that they haven’t seen or know little about, and the same survey found that only a similar 23 percent of respondents said they were either extremely (3 percent), very (6 percent) or just familiar (14 percent) with the nuts and bolts of plug-in hybrid power.
"Once we explained the technology, 52 percent said that they would be much more likely to include it on their next vehicle,” says Stephen Lovett, Harris director. Likelihood dropped a bit, however, once people were told there would be a premium price for a clean mobile.
And the enthusiasm around plug-ins may be more self-centered than driven by concerns for a healthier planet. In other words, saving money on gas may be more important than saving the planet, as the strongest interest came from respondents who own a compact SUV, of whom 45 percent said they were likely to purchase a plug-in hybrid for their next vehicle, versus 31 percent of owners of more fuel-efficient compact cars.
But hey, whatever works, right? Also encouraging, among those who say there were least likely to include plug-in hybrid vehicles on their shopping lists, 84 percent did say they would prefer plugging in to filling up at the gas station, says Harris.
Now, a quarter of respondents may not sound like enough to get all excited about, but consider that plug-in hybrids, designed to run entirely on electricity, at least for short trips at lower velocities, have never been available in the U.S. market in notable volume, except for General Motors' brief experiment with its late 1990s EV1 car.
History also has shown that consumers tend to underestimate their usage and adoption of products and technologies that they haven’t seen or know little about, and the same survey found that only a similar 23 percent of respondents said they were either extremely (3 percent), very (6 percent) or just familiar (14 percent) with the nuts and bolts of plug-in hybrid power.
"Once we explained the technology, 52 percent said that they would be much more likely to include it on their next vehicle,” says Stephen Lovett, Harris director. Likelihood dropped a bit, however, once people were told there would be a premium price for a clean mobile.
And the enthusiasm around plug-ins may be more self-centered than driven by concerns for a healthier planet. In other words, saving money on gas may be more important than saving the planet, as the strongest interest came from respondents who own a compact SUV, of whom 45 percent said they were likely to purchase a plug-in hybrid for their next vehicle, versus 31 percent of owners of more fuel-efficient compact cars.
But hey, whatever works, right? Also encouraging, among those who say there were least likely to include plug-in hybrid vehicles on their shopping lists, 84 percent did say they would prefer plugging in to filling up at the gas station, says Harris.
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