Drivers are also worried about charging electric vehicles. There are currently 130,000 public electric vehicle charging stations in the United States, according to the White House. Under the 2021 infrastructure law, the government will spend $7.5 billion to build half a million electric vehicle charging stations along federal highways. But a January report from S&P Global concluded that the nation would need more than 2 million public charging stations by 2030, in addition to private home and garage chargers.
Doug Freeman, an insurance executive in Amesbury, Mass., is an obvious customer for an electric vehicle. He has a 140-mile round trip commute to work, and currently drives a Chevrolet Volt hybrid. “For me, the green side isn’t number one on the priority list, but the savings on fuel from an electric vehicle would be a lot more than for the average consumer,” he said.
But the model he covets, the Kia EV6, is not made in the United States and doesn’t qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. “Without the credit, it’s $50,000 to $54,000,” Mr. Freeman said. “I’ve never paid more than about $33,000 for a car.”
Electric vehicle makers are making use of one way to win over consumers: rentals. In 2021, Hertz, the car rental company, bought 100,000 Teslas, making E.V.s 20 percent of its fleet. Most other major car rental companies are also adding electric vehicles to their fleets.
“Rental cars are an excellent way to move E.V.s from niche to mainstream,” said Drew Kodjak, executive director of the International Council on Clean Transportation, a research organization. “It offers consumers a way to test-drive electric vehicles for a few days, see if they like them, see how they feel about range anxiety,” he said.
