Electric vehicle owners aren't switching back to gas cars
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
People who buy electric vehicles (EVs) — and there are a lot of them in Austin — really like them, per U.S. vehicle registration data, which show most EV owners tend to buy an EV for their next car, too.
Why it matters: The data reveals a growing embrace of electric cars as automakers and the federal government pour billions of dollars into EV and battery production, Axios' Joann Muller reports.
- Judging by electric vehicle owners' propensity to get personalized license plates that say things like "NoGaz," we can't say we're fully surprised.
Zoom in: EVs accounted for 9.6% of Austin's new car registrations in July.
- More electric vehicles are owned in Travis County than in any other county in Texas, per data compiled by DFW-Clean Cities, a coalition of government planning groups and clean air advocates.
Yes, but: The vast majority of vehicles on the road remain gas-powered. Just shy of 2% of the registered vehicles in the Austin area are electric.
- Of note: EV market penetration is higher in tonier parts of town — in West Lake Hills, West Austin, Bee Cave and downtown Austin, registration is just over 4%.
Zoom out: Roughly two-thirds (65.3%) of EV-owning households nationally that bought a new car in 2022 got another electric, per vehicle registration data from S&P Global Mobility.
Between the lines: Loyalty to Austin-based Tesla is through the roof — 91% of Tesla owners who bought another EV opted for another Tesla.
- "That's an amazing statistic," Tom Libby, associate director of industry analysis at S&P, tells Axios. "Not only are they selling a lot, they're keeping the owners. That's a very powerful combination."