New Jerseyans say that they know the benefits of electric cars, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready to switch.
A new Rutgers-Eagleton poll found that 58% of those polled said Gov. Phil Murphy’s plan to phase out the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 will create better air quality in the state, and 51% expect it to boost public health.
Still, half said they were opposed to the plan, including a third who said they are strongly opposed. A majority of respondents — 56% — also said they are not likely to buy electric vehicles, citing concerns about the costs and charging station availability.
Debate over society’s transition to electric vehicles is becoming an increasingly important political point. Mass adoption of electric vehicles is considered a critical step to slashing greenhouse gas emissions and fending off the worst of climate change, and Democrats like Murphy and President Joe Biden have pushed to phase out gas and diesel.
But former President Donald Trump has made electric cars a wedge issue, playing on cost concerns and worries that such a transition will ultimately mean lost jobs in the auto sector.
Ashley Koning, the director of the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, spoke with NJ Spotlight News and said debate over electric cars will likely be an ongoing issue in this year’s presidential election.
“Politicians have to kind of be wary when treading this issue simply because you don’t know where independents are going to lie,” Koning said. “Especially because those who are most supportive are already squarely in the Democrats’ camp and are not new voters that Democrats could turn out in their favor.”
