Interest or lack of interest in electric cars is closely linked to how people vote. This is shown by a new German study.

The fact that there is a big difference in interest in electric cars depending on political preference is far from new, and now a new study confirms that it matters more than factors such as age, place of residence, education, income, or price.

The greatest interest in electric cars is found among those who vote for the German equivalent of the Green Party – in this group, almost 64 percent could imagine buying an electric vehicle.

On the opposite side, with the lowest interest in electric cars, are those who vote for the national-conservative AfD. In that group, only 20 percent could imagine buying an electric vehicle.

– For AfD supporters, the electric car—like wind turbines and heat pumps—has become the stage for a culture war, says Matthias Diermeier, one of the authors of the study, to Die Zeit.

The interest refers to German electric cars. When it comes to Chinese electric cars, interest is generally lower in all groups—and when it comes specifically to Tesla, it is even lower. Almost six out of ten Germans, regardless of political preference, say no to buying a Tesla.

SEE ALSO: Electric car becomes unusable in cold weather—can only crawl