As interest in electric cars grows, many Chicago area shoppers remain hesitant
CHICAGO (CBS) – The nation's biggest auto show kicks off Saturday morning in Chicago.
Hundreds of vehicles will be on display including several cars and trucks powered by battery. Is gas soon to be a thing of the past?
Morning Insider Lauren Victory explored the hype of going electric.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is one of the most talked-about, most pre-ordered all-electric vehicles, and yet Chuck Boney is going hybrid for his latest purchase at Hennessey's River View Ford.
Kelly Webb Roberts showed off the fully-electric IONIQ 5, which glistened in the Webb Hyundai showroom, but steps away, the deal just got sealed on a Hyndai Elantra gas model. We asked buyer Daria Tindall why she didn't go with an electric car.
"I don't know," she said. "It would be different but I'm kind of used to gas right now."
The customers who spoke with CBS 2 aren't comfortable with EVs just yet. One reason was how far the cars can go on the open road before needing a charge. Many can't make it past 250 miles and they last even less in cold weather.
"I drive way too often to be stopped at that frequency," said Chuck Boney, a Ford customer.
Auto expert Paul Eisenstein writes all about EV hesitation and EV progress as editor of the DetroitBureau.com.
"The clear direction of the industry is going is to electrify," he said.
Besides range, another hurdle he hears about is pricing.
A traditional silver F-150 will cost about $60,000, while the electric white lightning comes in at more than $80,000.
"The technology is going into mass production, so that alone will help drive down the cost," said Eisenstein.
How about hybrid pricing?
That version of the Hyundai Elantra starts about $4,000 higher than the gas model, but you'll save $3,500 in fuel costs over five years, according to its sticker.
Victory: "Are the promises coming true that you do make it all up in a couple of years?"
Eisenstein: "You will save money on EVs. Among other things, there's lower maintenance costs."
Webb Roberts recognizes electric doesn't make sense for everyone's budget and driving needs.
But still…
"Most of our inquiries from our website is a lot of people asking questions about EVs," said Kelly Webb Roberts, president of the Webb Auto Group.
So much so, that CBS 2 got to sit in the only electric vehicle left on her lot. Customers are curious, even if they're not ready to accelerate past gas.
There are $7,500 federal tax credits on may electric vehicles, but they could go away or be reduced in a couple of months.
The savings and environmental impact of electric vehicles depends on a number of factors, including miles driven, price of gas and price of electricity.
Interested in an electric vehicle, you can calculate potential savings on websites like chooseev.com, chargevc.org, and through the U.S. Department of Energy. You can also calculate your vehicle's environmental impact here and here.
