According to a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal Online and Harris Interactive, 33% of US adults who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle say they are most likely to seriously consider an alternative-fueled vehicle for their next purchase.
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Most (92%) of these adults are willing to pay more for it than a traditional, petrol-powered version of the same vehicle.
The top reasons for considering an alternative-fueled vehicle include concerns for the environment and the cost of fuel.
2,516 adults were surveyed online at the beginning of April. The survey also explores how consumers plan to pay for their next new vehicle, and what financial factors are most important to them when making their next new vehicle purchase.
Almost three in five (58%) adults plan on purchasing a new vehicle, and while 37% say they are most likely to seriously consider a traditional, petrol-fueled vehicle, many say they will seriously consider a hybrid (25%), ethanol-fueled (7%), or diesel-fueled (2%) vehicle.
Only 8% of adults who will likely consider an alternative-fueled vehicle say they would not be willing to pay more for a vehicle that runs on an alternative fuel over a traditional, gasoline-powered version of the same vehicle. Among those who are willing to pay extra, the average amount willing to be paid is $US9,258.
Among those who say they would seriously consider a vehicle that runs on alternative fuel, almost half (47%) say their main reason for doing this is because it is better for the environment. Another 45% say their main motive is because their fuel costs will be lower. Substantially fewer adults cite the fact that they can take advantage of the Federal Clean-Fuel Tax Deduction (3%) and that they will be able to drive in High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and carpool lanes (1%) as their most important reason.
Scott Upham, senior vice president of the automotive and transportation research practice at Harris Interactive comments, “We’ve seen that more and more US consumers are realising that alternative-fueled vehicles bear a price increase over similarly equipped petrol-based vehicles, but that many are willing to make this choice due to their own environmental beliefs or sensitivity to high fuel prices.”
