Poll: Buyers confused, wary about electric cars
If companies like Tesla Motors Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp., which announced a partnership in May, are going to succeed with electric cars they will have to overcome considerable consumer wariness, a new survey suggests.
A Harris Interactive survey done for Mercedes-Benz USA found Americans are having a hard time figuring out the advantages and risks of buying a hybrid or all electric versus a gasoline or diesel car. So they are putting off purchasing alternative-fueled vehicles.
Almost half of those surveyed said they are interested in buying an alternative-fueled car such as Tesla's Roadster or Toyota's Prius, but only 71 percent said they are not at all knowledgeable about the differences between types of such vehicles.
It also found that more than half of adults (58 percent) have never considered purchasing an alternative fuel vehicle, while nearly two in five (39 percent) have. Only 3 percent already own one.
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