EVs and the Gen Z

Demographics is one topic that isn’t frequently discussed in the world of electric vehicles. For my podcast, Stus EV Universe, I recently had the chance to interview four 20-year-olds to learn more about their perspectives on the future of transportation. Eden, Dylan, Kelly, and Spencer were my company. One has some driving experience but primarily uses public transportation, while the other three don’t even own cars. The fourth one has a Toyota Prius.

All of them supported the idea of public transit, but their experiences with it have occasionally been less than stellar.

Even if our bus system isn’t fantastic, Kelly believes you can still travel to most areas. Since everything is located in downtown, you must first get there if you want to go anywhere. That’s a little annoying. It results in the fact that every bus trip, regardless of how long it goes, normally lasts at least an hour.

Before I attended college at UK (the University of Kentucky), I never used public transit, recalls Dylan. I pretty much only utilize public transit while I’m on the campus of UK.

Dylan uses a wheelchair, which makes using the bus system challenging because the driver needs assistance with the wheelchair. Dylan observes that the more recent electric buses are not only cleaner, but also have technologies in place that provide a lot more autonomy when boarding the vehicle.

When I walk by the buses, I can clearly smell them, says Eden. Because of my asthma, I can smell the exhaust, which is not good. Breathing becomes considerably more challenging.

Spencer attends a small-town school in Arkansas where there is no public transit. Additionally, there is no public transportation in his hometown, so driving allows him to go.

Spencer recalls, “At 14, I was pushing for my permit. As soon as I was able to do so legally, I wanted to drive. Everything was too far away to walk, he observed, and a car offered more flexibility.

The fact that the bulk of the group wasn’t very interested in owning a car surprised me. Spencer, who drives a Prius, hopes to someday acquire a fully electric car.

Concerns over the safety of gas and diesel vehicles have been voiced. We also talked about how much safer electric automobiles can be because they don’t use combustible gasoline; electric cars are much less likely to catch fire.

The young people claimed that the current price of electric cars prevented them and their classmates from owning cars.

Dylan stated, “I do believe that for myself and my larger friend group, electric vehicles in general are extremely nice big thumbs up. Whatever might assist lessen the quantity of pollution we are emitting into the environment is something we support. But I also know that anytime my friends and I see a Tesla out on the road, we immediately say, “Oh.” Because buying a Tesla makes a statement, and buying an electric car makes a completely different statement, electric automobiles and Teslas are nearly perceived as two different things in our thoughts. A Tesla is like look at me, I’m very affluent and I love Elon Musk, whereas an electric car is like I want to help the environment.

The Fuels Institute reports that middle-aged white men with college degrees and annual incomes of more than $100,000 make up the majority of EV owners as of 2019. Additionally, they have at least one additional vehicle in their home.

Kelly claims that some of her friends and family members are affected by the vehicle culture, and she has relatives in rural Kentucky who would be interested in an EV. However, the lack of infrastructure in the region makes owning an EV more challenging, if not impossible.

The episode also discusses modifying internal combustion cars, light electric cars, and e-bikes, the strain young people are under due to the coming climate problem, and the role that people and big businesses can play in bringing about positive change in our world.

This was an interesting discussion that took some unexpected turns and had some very intelligent and mature young adults speaking their truth. For additional information, listen to the podcast. Some incredibly intriguing voices are audible.

The podcast episodes here and here that are linked to this subject.
Associated Posts
For additional information, see our complete electric bike archives.

Do you value the unique reporting and cleantech news coverage on CleanTechnica? Consider becoming a patron on Patreon or a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador. Don’t miss a cleantech story, will ya? Register for daily news updates from CleanTechnica by email. Or follow us on Google News Want to advertise with CleanTechnica, send us a tip, or propose a speaker for our podcast CleanTech Talk? You can reach us here.

Share

Related Articles

World News Today

Featured Posts

Sweden’s Plug-In EV Market Share Is At 59.4%, And The Volvo XC40 Is Growing
November 6, 2022
Sweden’s Plug-In EV Market Share Is At 59.4%, And The Volvo XC40 Is Growing
Reportedly delayed until the first quarter of 2023 is the Tesla Cybertruck
November 5, 2022
Reportedly delayed until the first quarter of 2023 is the Tesla Cybertruck
Together, Tritium and DC-America will offer a coast-to-coast EV charging solution.
November 5, 2022
Together, Tritium and DC-America will offer a coast-to-coast EV charging solution.
First EV charging stations are provided for Taco Bell in California.
November 5, 2022
First EV charging stations are provided for Taco Bell in California.
New GMC Hummer EV All-Wheel Drive Ebike Introduced by Recon
November 4, 2022
New GMC Hummer EV All-Wheel Drive Ebike Introduced by Recon
previous arrow
next arrow

Science News Today

Tech News Post