A series of weaknesses in creativity, research design, and quality of writing continue to handicap energy social science. Many studies ask uninteresting research questions, make only marginal contributions, and lack innovative methods or application to theory. Many studies also have no explicit research design, lack rigor, or suffer from mangled structure and poor quality of writing. To help remedy these shortcomings, this Review offers suggestions for how to construct research questions; thoughtfully engage with concepts; state objectives; and appropriately select research methods. Then, the Review offers suggestions for enhancing theoretical, methodological, and empirical novelty. In terms of rigor, codes of practice are presented across seven method categories: experiments, literature reviews, data collection, data analysis, quantitative energy modeling, qualitative analysis, and case studies. We also recommend that researchers beware of hierarchies of evidence utilized in some disciplines, and that researchers place more emphasis on balance and appropriateness in research design. In terms of style, we offer tips regarding macro and microstructure and analysis, as well as coherent writing. Our hope is that this Review will inspire more interesting, robust, multi-method, comparative, interdisciplinary and impactful research that will accelerate the contribution that energy social science can make to both theory and practice.

Promoting novelty, rigor, and style in energy social science: towards codes of practice for appropriate methods and research design

This paper presents a literature review of studies that investigate infrastructure needs to support the market introduction of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). It focuses on literature relating to consumer preferences for charging infrastructure, and how consumers interact with and use this infrastructure. This includes studies that use questionnaire surveys, interviews, modelling, GPS data from vehicles, and data from electric vehicle charging equipment. These studies indicate that the most important location for PEV charging is at home, followed by work, and then public locations. Studies have found that more effort is needed to ensure consumers have easy access to PEV charging and that charging at home, work, or public locations should not be free of cost. Research indicates that PEV charging will not impact electricity grids on the short term, however charging may need to be managed when the vehicles are deployed in greater numbers. In some areas of study the literature is not sufficiently mature to draw any conclusions from. More research is especially needed to determine how much infrastructure is needed to support the roll out of PEVs. This paper ends with policy implications and suggests avenues of future research.

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A review of consumer preferences of and interactions with electric vehicle charging infrastructure

Adoption of electric vehicle: A literature review and prospects for sustainability

Why people want to buy electric vehicle: An empirical study in first-tier cities of China

European Union’s (EU) long-term objective of achieving a competitive low carbon economy is mainly based on enabling environmentally sustainable investments, particularly in terms of decreasing energy consumption in buildings, transition to electric vehicles, and developing smart electricity networks, while promoting renewable energy use in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. Since, transport is one of the main sector responsible for EU’s emissions; diffusion of Electric Vehicles (EVs) could allow immense reduction. Therefore, since the announcement of 2050 Roadmap in 2009, there has been a great increase in studies exploring the viability of transition to e-mobility in a Europe-wide context, identifying common factors and variables. However, it is usually not that straightforward when decision makers seek to transform these variables into policy implications that will actually help to achieve the EU goals on energy transition. At this point, the motivators and barriers are of utmost importance. Accordingly, this study is based on an extensive and up-to-date review of the existing literature on e-mobility in Europe, with the main aim of identifying and mapping the motivators and barriers for the diffusion of electric mobility through three levels of decision-making: Formal Social Units, Collective Decision-Making Units, and Individual Units. Results of the analysis identifies that the main barriers are lack of charging infrastructure; economic restrictions and cost concerns; technical and operational restrictions; lack of trust; information and knowledge; limited supply of electricity and raw materials; and practicability concerns. Thus, key motivators appear to be environmental, economic and technical benefits associated with EVs, as well as personal and demographic factors.

Electric mobility in Europe: A comprehensive review of motivators and barriers in decision making processes

The entry of various plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) into the passenger vehicle sector provides novel opportunities to learn about the potential for future PEV markets. However, early PEV buyers (or “Pioneers”) can substantially differ from present conventional vehicle owners that have interest in purchasing PEVs in the future (or the “Potential Early Mainstream buyers”). To compare the characteristics, preferences, and motivations of Pioneers and Potential Early Mainstream buyers, we draw data from the Canadian Plug-in Electric Vehicle Study, a three-part mixed-mode survey with samples of PEV owners ( n  = 94) and conventional new vehicle buyers ( n  = 1754). We identify several significant differences in household characteristics, including income, education, and recharge access. In terms of preferences, Pioneers express extremely high valuation of PEVs and prefer pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) designs over plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) designs. In contrast, Potential Early Mainstream respondents prefer PHEVs. Both Pioneer and Potential Early Mainstream respondents are similarly cautious about controlled charging programs, but Pioneers place five times as much value on using electricity generated from renewable sources than the Potential Early Mainstream. Pioneers also tend to have different motivations, including significantly higher levels of environmental concern, and higher engagement in environment- and technology-oriented lifestyles. Policymakers, automakers, and electric utilities that anticipate a transition to electric mobility ought to consider how potential future PEV buyers may differ in their vehicle preferences, usage and motivations relative to current PEV owners.

How might potential future plug-in electric vehicle buyers differ from current “Pioneer” owners?

Lifestyles can play an important role in shaping consumer behaviour regarding novel low-carbon technologies. In this study, we develop a conceptual framework based on lifestyle theory, which defines lifestyle as engagement in several related practices that inform and convey self-identity. We apply this theory to the case of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) technologies by conducting 17 semi-structured interviews with PEV-owning households in or near Vancouver, Canada. We categorize participants based on their engagement in technology-oriented or pro-environmental lifestyles. We explore participants’ functional, symbolic and societal motivations relating to PEV purchase, driving patterns, public charging usage, and interest in a controlled charging program. Some patterns are consistent across lifestyle segments, where most participants emphasized the practicality of PEVs, the improved driving experience and overall interest in environmental protection. However, motivations varied, some corresponding with participants’ lifestyle engagement; for example, participants that engaged in pro-environmental lifestyles were more likely to emphasize the environmental aspects of PEV usage. Together, these findings suggest that policymakers and researchers ought to consider the variety of motivations that may influence purchase and use of PEV—even among Pioneers—which may relate to a variety of benefits such as cost savings, environmental protection and symbolic value.

What drives the Pioneers? Applying lifestyle theory to early electric vehicle buyers in Canada

Consumer demand is an important aspect of a successful transition to low-carbon technology—where consumers must have basic awareness and understanding of a technology in order to purchase and use it. In this study we explore consumer knowledge, confusion and perceptions for two related technology cases: plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and a program that allows the electric utility to control the timing of PEV charging to support renewable electricity. We focus on “Mainstream” vehicle buyers, who differ from the first PEVs buyers. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 new-vehicle buying households in the greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. Overall, participant awareness was very low for both technologies; most participants were confused about hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology and did not understand the sources of electricity that PEVs might consume. Once the case technologies were explained, most participants expressed a wide range of positive and negative perceptions of both, which we categorize into a framework of perceived functional (e.g. cost and performance), symbolic (e.g. “strangeness” and loss of control), or societal (e.g. pollution reduction) attributes. We conclude with suggestions of how research and policy can consider and further examine the roles of knowledge and perceptions in markets for low-carbon technologies.

Confusion of innovations: Mainstream consumer perceptions and misperceptions of electric-drive vehicles and charging programs in Canada

Evaluating plug-in electric vehicle policies in the context of long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals: Comparing 10 Canadian provinces using the “PEV policy report card”

This is Part 2 of a two-part study that explores latent demand for three types of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs): plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs). Using an in-depth, Reflexive Participant approach to data collection, our survey instrument includes two measures of latent demand implemented with a representative sample of 2123 new vehicle-buying households in Canada in 2017. While Part 1 (Long et al., this issue) reports on a design space exercise, here we summarize results from a stated choice experiment, using a latent class choice model to quantify respondent preferences and motivations, and the heterogeneity therein. We identify five unique respondent classes (or segments) that largely differ by their preferred drivetrain, only three of which demonstrate significant interest in ZEVs: PEV-enthusiast (representing 13% of the sample), PHEV-oriented (22%), and ZEV-neutral (21%). Respondents in all three classes tend to have higher levels of environmental concern or engagement in an environment-oriented lifestyle. All classes significantly value purchase price and incentives, but vary widely in valuation of fuel savings, charging access, and refueling access – with little overall valuation of driving range and public charging access. We calculate conditional choice probabilities as estimates of ZEV latent demand, which is equivalent to 29% of new market share under base conditions, and significantly increases to a high of 49% with purchase incentives and widespread charger deployment. Our discussion compares insights provided by the two stated response approaches to latent demand (in Parts 1 and 2), making a case for overall complementarity.

Suzanne Goldberg

Papers

How might potential future plug-in electric vehicle buyers differ from current “Pioneer” owners?

What drives the Pioneers? Applying lifestyle theory to early electric vehicle buyers in Canada

Confusion of innovations: Mainstream consumer perceptions and misperceptions of electric-drive vehicles and charging programs in Canada

Evaluating plug-in electric vehicle policies in the context of long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals: Comparing 10 Canadian provinces using the “PEV policy report card”

Latent demand for zero-emissions vehicles in Canada (Part 2): Insights from a stated choice experiment