COLORADO SPRINGS — With surging gas prices, News5 found that the popularity of electric vehicles is only increasing locally. News5 went to find out what the situation looks like for purchasing an electric vehicle right now.
Buying any vehicle right now can be a challenge because of supply issues and when it comes to electric vehicles, in some cases it is taking weeks to be able to take a test drive as dealerships try to keep up with demand.
"Every day. Multiple times a day. Like this morning I think I had three inquiries on the Leaf," said Woodmen Nissan Electric Vehicle Ambassador Hugh Tomkins.
At Woodmen Nissan in Colorado Springs a "Leaf" is finally on the lot after weeks of waiting, but it won't be here long... someone already bought it.
"They are selling quicker than we can actually get them," said Tomkins. "You still need to test drive it and that's probably the hardest part right now is you can't really test drive the vehicles because they aren't really here just yet and people are buying them months before they arrive."
Despite the demand for electric vehicles, some consumers still have reservations about buying one right now. They also say they know it's something they'll likely have to consider eventually.
"I do a lot of long driving and they aren't good for driving 13 or 14 hours a day, so you'd have to stop, but other than that I think we're going to have to go to them," said Barb, a Colorado Springs driver.
While the vehicles themselves may be too expensive for some consumers, sales experts at Woodmen Nissan say many people see electric vehicles as a cost saving investment long-term.
"Probably four to ten dollars for charging it overnight and that's 200 miles. It's quite a bit cheaper than $4 a gallon for 200 or 400 miles whatever it might be," said Tomkins.
But actually getting behind the wheel of an electric vehicle may take awhile.
"The manufacturer may pick up some slack and let out some more. I truly don't know. They said the car shortage may last up to two years, or some people are saying even longer from now," said Tomkins.
One of the most common questions car dealers get about electric cars is about access to charging stations. The Department of Energy has this tool to help locate them. Doing a search of a Colorado Springs zip code with a 25 mile radius shows there are 64 charging stations in and around the area.
If you want to use the tool to do your own search click here
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