The numeral of Americans who believe electric vehicles are better for the environment than car that lam on fossil fuel has dipped 5 % in the past two years , according to a newfangled poll conducted by Ipsos and first reported byNPRon Monday . And while the new polling does n’t explain , why we can take some educated guesswork .
Just 58 % of Americans believe EVs are better for the environment , according to this modish polling , down from 63 % of Americans back in 2022 . But the most interesting aspect of this new data is that while beliefs from those who are considering buy an EV have continue constant , the beliefs of those who do n’t want to buy an EV have change beyond the margin of error for the poll .
Among Americans who are considering the purchase of an electric vehicle , 82 % believe eV are better for the surroundings — a act that was the same in 2022 and 2023 . But among those who are n’t considering the purchase of an EV , the numbers pool have declined substantially . It was 38 % in 2022 , 31 % in 2023 , and 30 % in this tardy opinion poll for 2024 .
A person recharges a Tesla electric vehicle at a Tesla Supercharger station on 17 January 2025 in Pasadena, California.© Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
As NPR points out , there are a number of craft - offs when it comes to electric vehicle , but by most measures , galvanising vehicles really arebetter for the environment . But that has n’t stopped a gravid push in conservative media to paint EVs as terrible for the planet . One example is aNew York Postarticle from March 2024 with the headline “ galvanising vehicles free more toxic emissions , are tough for the surround than flatulence - powered cars : study . ”
In reality , that Post article was misleading because it cited a study that only looked at tyre and brake emissions , not major contributors to climate modification like greenhouse emissions . The study establish that tyre from electric vehicles could give out pliant particulates into the air because EVs run to be heavier than traditional car . And that ’s certainly something worth considering when it comes to befoulment . But the New York Post clearly was n’t being intellectually honest with its headline , knowing full well that any middling lector would accept the “ emissions ” include things like greenhouse emissions .
That article was even mention by podcaster Joe Rogan during an episode of his podcast to talk about how electric vehicles may as well be ignored for their environmental benefits . And that convey us to the very influential mass who are potential behind this shift in public opinion , particularly among those who are n’t concerned in buy an EV to begin with .
guy like Rogan and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have very tawdry megaphone to asperse electric vehicles . And while Trump has slightly softened his language around EVs , only as a nod to his crony Elon Musk , even the billionaire Tesla CEO has seen a fracture in his lyric , moving closer to Trump , who has previously called climate change a hoax contrive by China .
“ If we were to intercept using oil and gaseous state right now , we would all be starving and the economic system would collapse , ” Musk said during anX Spaces chatwith Trump in August . “ We do over time require to move to a sustainable energy economy because finally , you do operate out of oil and gas . ”
Musk go on to exact that “ we still have quite a bit of time ” and “ we do n’t require to rush ” in a transition forth from fossil fuel .
The job , of course , is that if the great unwashed really trust that there ’s no environmental benefit to buy electric vehicles , people will top buy galvanising vehicle . And that would seem to be a trouble for the CEO of a ship’s company that makes galvanising vehicles . Thankfully for Musk , that opinion seems to only be growing among people who were n’t going to corrupt eV in the first place . But if he and his correct - annexe buddies keep feeding that story , who knows how public thought might shift over the next two years .
Elon MuskEVsTESLA
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