Demand for electric cars has increased – here are some tips if you’re in the market

Demand stemming from skyrocketing gasoline prices and ongoing supply chain issues are making it difficult for some drivers to switch to an electric vehicle.

According to the automotive industry watcher edmunds“Shoppers’ on-site consideration of green vehicle pages (hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric) at Edmunds increased 39% over the past month.”

Translation: many more of us are testing electric cars.

And along with that comes a higher than normal sticker impact.

“There are a couple of vehicles that have come out recently that are very, very popular,” said Joel Levin, CEO of Plug-In America, a consumer electric vehicle nonprofit.

“Initially, there has been very little supply because volumes are low, so distributors have been adding $3,000, $5,000, $10,000 to the sticker price because they can.”

But Levin said it’s important to note that all types of cars have seen price increases due to supply chain issues related to the pandemic. And he believes dealer price hikes are temporary.

UCLA Institute for Environmental Sustainability researcher Narayan Gopinathan agrees that rising electric vehicle prices are likely a short-term problem.

“The long-term trend of EV prices going down continues to occur, due to falling battery prices and improvements in technology,” Gopinathan said.

However, if you’re ready to go electric now, Levin offered some advice when shopping for an EV.

• Check out federal, state, and even utility incentives. They can knock $10,000 or more off the price of a vehicle.
• Make an appointment with a dealer in advance, ideally with an electric vehicle expert.
• Check out websites like the one he runs america pluggable where you can see what cars are on the market, what incentives you might be eligible for, and more.
• go to some of the Upcoming SoCal EV Events in April (to correspond with Earth Day) where you can test drive green cars and learn more about ownership.