Tech Eyes: EV and Generational Change

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September 2026 – CAPE COD, MA – Based on a new poll taken this August, it seems that the biggest predictor of interest in the technology of electric vehicles might be the same factor behind most other technology shifts: generational cohort.

What did the EV attitudes study find?

That’s right. This study found that the biggest differential within the 1300 potential EV buyers it surveyed wasn’t geopolitical viewpoints or political party, but basic old-fashioned age and generation.

Indeed, it found that millennials and Gen Z were far far more likely to make the leap, but Boomers … not so much. In fact, it recorded a 52% difference between the oldest and youngest cohorts.

Even for technology that’s a lot!

How did the groups’ interest levels break out?

Specifically, it found that 75 percent of adults ages 18–34 and 72% of adults ages 35–49 say they are likely to purchase or lease an EV within the next five years. At the other end of the scale, just 23% of those 65 and older say the same, while at ages 50–64, 50% agreed.

The study came out of two national organizations that advocate for clean energy, Generation 180 and ZETA and was performed by Seven Letter Insights.

The data was collected in late August, after gas pumps felt the impact of the gulf war.

What do other studies say?

Given the pro-EV slant of the funders, it seemed prudent to look at a few other studies for comparison.  Turns out they weren’t all that different.

One study from PwC (formerly PriceWaterhouseCoopers),  a multi national professional services group and one of the “Big Four” accounting firms, found about a 45% interest in EVs in the US overall in mid 2026. It did not present interest by age. However, that cumulative number is pretty similar the overall picture painted by the ZETA study.

Pew Research studied interest in EVs in early 2026, before fuel prices rose. It found 32% of all Americans would consider an EV. It also noted that same generational split, with 43% of 18-29 year olds considering EVs and only 23 percent of those 65+ considering it.

How do we make transportation decisions?

Lots of factors play into how we make our transportation choices: how many people/stuff we transport, the terrain we drive, the miles we drive, personal style, environment, and of course affordability.

That last might explain a lot in the dichotomy of interest level vs sales. While younger people in general are more accepting of technological change including EVs, they also face different financial realities. Of course, that’s going to shape the actual purchase activity.

What did car makers design for?

Car makers built and priced vehicles for the higher end of the market, ie, where the money is. For those Boomers and Gen Z folks.

But they misread the tea leaves on tech and also targeted the slot in the market most resistant to change and least likely to hold an interest in EV technology. On one of those quadrant charts this mapping would probably fall in the lower right box.

What really matters in choosing a car?

All that high-minded chatter about what EVs mean might turn out to mean very little when the rubber meets the road.

We can talk endlessly about the benefits of carbon reduction, the philosophy of Big Oil, and other high level concepts, but when it comes time to write a check that all becomes just background noise.

What matters is this: can I afford it? Oh, and do I like the color?

And if it happens to come with a cool screen or a phone app or an electric motor and some new tech, that’s a bonus.

What do people really want?

No matter what proponents on all sides scream, most people just want … a car. One that doesn’t break the bank, one that starts, goes and stops without draining the wallet or smelling nasty or making weird and disconcerting noises. Most of us just want to get to work, get the kids to school, go the store, and move ourselves across a plethora of daily activities.

What might have worked better for EV sales?

Perhaps a wiser path from Detroit might have been fun hip lower cost vehicles targeted to the demographic that was most interested in EV options? I know, I know, that’s not how the car market works — but you still have to wonder if anyone even asked the question.

Why do I drive my car?

I like cars. I like driving. I like technology. And I hate pouring money into a gas pump. For a while I drove two beater cars, because between them one almost always ran.

After my daughter graduated college I bought myself a new car, the first in decades. It is electric, a Subaru if you care. I’ve been driving it for three years now.

Each time I read another poll I think about that decision.  The car itself was fast, fun, all-wheel drive and could haul dog crates. Fuel costs were ticking up. Plus, I never liked the way pumping gas left me smelling like fuel all day. Yuck. Oh, and I just loved, loved, loved the heated steering wheel!

Nothing high-minded in any part of that decision.

What triggers tech change?

And that’s the thing about technological change — at the end of day, as long as there’s an openness to something new, the deciding factor will never be the tech itself. Why do you think Apple unveils new colors right along with new products?

Here’s my message to the auto industry: make it electric please — and put your bet on the just right shade of red at a price we out here in real life can afford.

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