A new study has found that federal incentives are still necessary to help the adoption rate of electric vehicles.
While some states are cutting off electric vehicle incentives and even charging owners a fee to help recover lost gas taxes, a study conducted by the National Research Council and commissioned by Congress concluded that federal incentives need to continue to help spur purchases of electrified vehicles. According to the report, “Vehicle cost, current battery technology, and inadequate consumer knowledge are some of the barriers preventing widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles.” The study also listed various recommendations to encourage adoption of electric vehicles.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Green Cars of 2015
Some of those recommendations include funding research aimed at creating lower-cost, higher-performing batteries, extending federal incentives beyond current production limits, converting tax credit for EV and PHEV purchases to rebates redeemable at dealerships, introducing regulations to standardize charge plug designs, launching public-service advertising campaigns to boost awareness of electrified vehicles and halting federal government investments in public EV charging stations until their role in supporting EV adoption is better understood.
The primary sales challenge currently with electrified vehicles is their high cost compared to standard gasoline-powered vehicles, the study found. Electrified vehicles are also seeing their sales drop now that gasoline prices have lowered.
[Source: Automotive News]
Discuss this story at our alternative fuel forum
The post Electric Vehicles Need Additional Federal Support: Study appeared first on AutoGuide.com News.