CHICAGO (WWJ) -- Is there a gender gap when it comes to electric vehicles?
According to a new study by Nissan, only one in three women will even consider buying an EV, while about half of men say they will.
WWJ Auto Beat Reporter Jeff Gilbert spoke with Tricia Jung, Sr. Director of Electric Vehicle Strategy and Transformation for Nissan North America, who released the study results Thursday at the Chicago Auto Show.
"One of the key data points that we got out of it is that over half of them... they've never been inside an EV," Jung said. "This is compared to about 38% of men, and almost half of them think charging sounds difficult."
The key is education and experience, which is why you see so many EV tracks at auto shows, Gilbert said.
The results of Nissan's study are fairly line with a 2023 study data analyzed by Berylls, a consulting firm that works with automakers and suppliers in the automotive industry. That survey found that while those "strongly considering" an EV as their next purchase were split almost evenly between the genders, 81% of “skeptics” – those not considering buying EV – were female.
This news comes as some automakers are being more cautious with EVs, backpedaling on their once lofty production goals.