Americans Are No Longer Plugged in to EVs

July 2, 2024

Polls show Americans are losing interest in electric vehicles despite aggressive pushes by the Biden administration to electrify transportation.

 

A Pew Research Center study released last week reported only 29% of Americans are interested in buying an electric vehicle- a 9% drop from 38% in 2023. Cost, electricity range in regard to chargers, and charging time are the driver’s top three concerns when considering an EV reports Politico’s Energywire.

 

Driving the electric vehicle agenda is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) multipollutant rule, requiring 69% of light duty vehicles be electric or hybrid electric by 2032. However, Pew’s research reported 58% of those polled opposed rules pressuring Americans to buy EVs in the allotted time.

 

“The research reaffirms the point we have been making,” IL Corn Growers Association (ICGA) President Dave Rylander said. “The United States does not have the consumer interest, infrastructure, or economic reality to support a surge in electric vehicle sales. The EPA’s plan has many loopholes. However, ethanol and biofuels are a solution we can use immediately to decarbonize our transportation sector and lower emissions.”

 

Across the United States, ethanol is added to at least 10% of most baseline fuel. A renewable resource, ethanol lowers greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared to gasoline. Products such as E15 and E85 offer Americans significant cost cuts. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) reports during the 2022 driving season, drivers saved at least 25 cents per gallon on E15.

 

Additionally, access to charging stations and grid power is a concern of many rural Americans. The University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reported two-thirds of Americans do not know the closest public charging station. In May, Pew reported only 17% of rural Americans live less than a mile from a charging station opposed to 60% in urban areas. As of February, urban areas account for almost 90% of charging ports in the United States.

 

“Let’s meet Americans where they are and bring biofuels into the GHG reduction conversation,” Rylander said. “We have a problem and a realistic solution to fix it.”

< Older Post

 Newer Post >
Four people posing in front of the U.S. Capitol at sunset

GROWing the Next Generation

By Lyndi Allen • November 5, 2026
IL Corn's GrassRoots Orientation to Washington, D.C. program allows Illinois farmers and agricultural professionals to see firsthand how agricultural policy is shaped.
U.S. Capitol building at sunrise, viewed from a low angle with a yellow road line leading toward it

Election Results Set the Stage for IL Corn's Work Ahead

By Brad Stotler and Lyndi Allen • November 5, 2026
Illinois voters delivered decisive victories for Democrats across the state, expanding the party’s supermajorities in the General Assembly and electing a new U.S. Senator.
National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center

Did You Miss These? Corn's Top October Stories

By Tara Desmond • November 5, 2026
Fall Nitrogen, President Trump, New Corn uses expansion and more - check out October corn news you missed.
advertisement of we are 96 at an outdoor event

Chicagoland Parents Know Farmers Better Than They Did Five Years Ago

By Tara Desmond & Brownfield Ag • November 5, 2026
New Illinois Farm Families research shows consumer recognition up 10 points since 2021, with farmers still ranked the most trusted profession.
Award winners from 2025 ICGA Annual Meeting

ICGA Annual Meeting: November 24 in Bloomington, IL

By Lindsay Croke • October 30, 2026
IL Corn's Annual Meeting to be Held 11/24
collin and jared

How IL Corn’s FFA Partnership Is Building the Next Generation of Ag Advocates

By Brownfield & Tara • October 29, 2026
Illinois FFA State VP Collin Johnson shares how the IL Corn checkoff partnership builds the next generation of ag advocates.
Show More