With U.S. electric vehicle sales growth slowing, consumer interest in buying EVs appears to have increased. Expanded charging infrastructure and improvements in driving range and charging speed are seen as reducing resistance to EVs.

On Sept. 9 local time, EV-focused outlet InsideEVs and HERE Technologies reported that in the 'HERE-SBD EV Index 2026' survey, more than half of U.S. drivers, 53%, said they were considering buying an EV more positively than a year earlier. The survey was conducted in June and July among about 4,000 drivers in the United States, Europe, India and Australia.

Actual sales and consumer perceptions diverged. Based on Alliance for Automotive Innovation data, EVs' share of the new-car market in the United States this year was 5.37 percent, about 3 percent lower than last year's annual level. Among non-EV drivers, the share saying they would choose a gasoline car as their next vehicle fell 10 percent from a year earlier. The share saying they would pick an EV if price and specifications were the same rose 8 percent, and the share saying there were no barriers to switching to an EV climbed to 12 percent this year from 6 percent last year.

Changes in charging conditions influenced the improvement in consumer perceptions. Some 57 percent of respondents said gasoline prices affected their interest in EVs. Factors that led them to consider EVs more included improvements in range and charging speed at 35 percent, improvements in charging infrastructure at 31 percent, and access to charging at home or work at 29 percent. Positive perceptions that public charging facilities are sufficient also jumped to 47 percent from 28 percent last year.

In the United States, the number of public charging points has increased by 31,600 since the last survey, and total charging capacity rose 47 percent to 20.7 GW from 14.1 GW. Some 77 percent of EV owners said they were likely to choose an EV again when replacing their current vehicle.

Regional gaps persisted. The top regions in the EV Index were Delaware, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Alaska, Oklahoma and Utah showed the biggest improvements, while Iowa, Washington and South Dakota fell sharply in the rankings as charging infrastructure failed to keep up with the pace of EV growth.

Robert Fisher (로버트 피셔), senior consulting manager at SBD Automotive, said, "Continued investment in charging infrastructure has begun to lead to greater consumer confidence." That means psychological barriers to EVs are falling even as sales slow.