Hybrid Survey Surprising

Survey Finds Americans Believe Hybrid Technology Is Strategically Important for US, Too Expensive to Buy
20 May 2009

A new Johnson Controls survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, finds that 88% of US adults believe the United States must become a leader in hybrid vehicles and 84% that the government should support the advancement of battery technology in this country.

While the survey found that 90% of US adults are open to choosing a hybrid if they were in the market for a new vehicle, it also determined that 80% of US adults think financial barriers such as purchase price and/or insufficient cost savings prevent people from buying a hybrid car.

At the same time, 84% see incentives and tax credits as an effective way to encourage consumers to purchase hybrid cars. Among adults who do not already own a hybrid, more than one in three (35%) would buy a comparable hybrid vehicle as long as it was priced the same as the gasoline-powered equivalent, and more than one in five (23%) would be willing to pay more. However, one-third would expect to pay less.

In addition to cost barriers, many consumers may also think hybrid vehicle performance should be equivalent or better than that of a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle. When asked what might prevent people from buying a hybrid car, 49% of adults cite reluctance to sacrifice features such as size and horsepower, and 42% express concerns that hybrids might mean inferior performance, lack of speed, or a poor driving experience. Further, nearly half (47%) believe lack of understanding about hybrids in general prevents people from buying them, and an even greater number (59%) have no idea what the distinctions are between different types of hybrids.

Johnson Controls commissioned the survey, “Powering the United States Hybrid Vehicle Industry,” to understand consumer sentiment regarding hybrid vehicles and to gain insight into the challenges and opportunities for broad market acceptance in the United States.

The online survey of more than 2,000 US adults, conducted in March 2009, finds that the biggest reasons why US adults think it is important that America become a leader in hybrid technology are to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign oil (81%), create jobs (67%), and reduce the US impact on the environment (64%).

The survey makes one message abundantly clear: despite recognizing the importance of hybrid technology and the role of government support, consumers need costs to come down for the hybrid industry to thrive. The survey also suggests a need for consumer education, because most people admit they don’t really grasp how hybrids work or understand the differences between the types of hybrid applications that are available.

—Kim Metcalf-Kupres, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Johnson Controls

The Johnson Controls survey, “Powering the US Hybrid Vehicle Industry,” was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive between March 9 and March 11, 2009 among 2,309 adults ages 18 and older, of whom, 35 (2%) already own a hybrid car.

Results were weighted as needed to reflect the composition of the US population of adults ages 18+ using targets for region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity to be online. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.