Electric cars are becoming more capable, but they still can't do everything, our Twitter followers suggest.
Last week, a study showed that the biggest factor in spreading electric-car adoption in the U.S. is a broader selection.
Teslas outsell most other electric cars not only because of their performance but also their size and comfort.
Various companies are gearing up to produce electric SUVs and pickups, including an electric pickup and a second SUV from Tesla, an electric pickup and SUV from Rivian Motors, and the Bollinger electric SUV. So far, however, the Jaguar I-Pace and the Tesla Model X are the only SUVs on sale.
That led us to wonder what other things people might want from their electric cars that most of today's models can't offer.
In our Twitter poll last week, we asked: "Is there anything you wish your electric car could do that it can't?
Is there anything you wish your electric car could do that it can't?
— Green Car Reports (@GreenCarReports) July 23, 2018
We got a good number of responses, perhaps indicating that a lot of people wish their electric car offered some additional utility.
The most popular answer, which garnered a scant majority of responses, was to make long trips. Just over half, 51 percent, of respondents wished their electric car were capable of going on long trips. Many of our readers have written about taking long trips, either in Teslas, using the automaker's large network of Supercharger DC fast chargers, or with extensive planning and often side trips for charging in other cars.
Clearly, a lot of electric car drivers wish they could make long trips more easily. It's not clear whether any these respondents drive Teslas.
2019 Jaguar I-Pace S
In a twist that surprised us, the next most common response was towing. A quarter of our respondents apparently either have trailers they can't tow with their electric cars or had to give up on the idea of towing altogether.
The only electric car available today that's rated to tow is the Tesla Model X, which starts at $80,000. For that, you get a vehicle that can tow up to 5,000 pounds.
Only 10 percent wished their electric car could carry more people or stuff, an answer that's surprising in an age of ever-growing SUVs that can carry seven, eight, and sometimes nine passengers. A different audience, perhaps.
Half again as many chose "Other," which could mean they wish to go off-road or have some other need, or that they are completely satisfied with their electric car.
READ THIS: 2019 Jaguar I-Pace: brief first drive of all-electric luxury crossover
The electric-car market is expanding, and more automakers are looking at electric vehicles as an alternative powertrain in the types of vehicles they already build, rather than an ultra-efficient small car.
Based on product plans that have been announced, we're hopeful that most of these Twitter respondents will find an electric car in the next few years that satisfies all their needs—and their wishes.
As always, remember that our Twitter polls are unscientific, because our audience is self-selected, and our sample size is small.
