Barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles: An analysis of consumer attitudes and perceptions
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify potential socio-technical barriers to consumer adoption of EVs and determine if sustainability issues influence consumer decision to purchase an EV, and provide valuable insights into preferences and perceptions of technology enthusiasts; individuals highly connected to technology development and better equipped to sort out the many differences between EVs and CVs.
About: This article is published in Energy Policy.The article was published on 2012-09-01. It has received 1207 citations till now.
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01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The eCo-FEV project as discussed by the authors aims at the creation of a cooperative infrastructure system for the electric mobility, which is also represented by the realization of a prototype of Charge While Driving, a system able to transfer electric energy during the motion through magnetic field induction.
Abstract: Several factors are obstructing the growth of the electric vehicle diffusion. In particular there is a general negative perception about the battery management, the time-travel related to the long time for the recharge and the absence of an hardware and information infrastructure in support of the electric vehicle use. The project eCo-FEV, described in the present work, aims at the creation of a cooperative infrastructure system for the electric mobility. An important technical challenge is also represented by the realization of a prototype of Charge While Driving, a system able to transfer electric energy during the motion through magnetic field induction.
11 citations
Cites background from "Barriers to widespread adoption of ..."
...The main critical object is represented by batteries: high costs, high volumes, low power density compared with classic fossil fuels, necessity of frequent stops and long time for the recharge and not well predictable behavior during the travel, are the principal obstacles to the customer approval [1]....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors outline a vision for advancing a research and development (R&D) agenda to thoroughly examine the characteristics and relationships among urbanization, electrification, and cities, including the imperative of shifting renewable sources for electricity.
Abstract: This white paper is an outcome of a workshop on urban electrification*. It outlines a vision for advancing a research and development (R&D) agenda to thoroughly examine the characteristics and relationships among urbanization, electrification, and cities, including the imperative of shifting renewable sources for electricity. It uses a systems approach to trace current knowledge and identifies knowledge gaps on diverse and not yet connected elements of this emerging field, while calling for a more active collaboration among engineering, and physical and social sciences in the development of an integrated R&D agenda.
Urbanization and electrification are deeply transforming energy systems globally. In the United States and around the globe, cities are engines of development that spatially concentrate the critical human activities and transboundary infrastructures driving and being affected by energy generation, distribution, and use. This spatial concentration creates unique opportunities for electrification to advance multiple economic, social, and environmental goals; at the same time, it alters the distribution of risks and vulnerabilities in complex ways. Because cities are key players in this field, the choices urban actors make about how to implement electrification and achieve energy sustainability, resilience, and innovation will have tremendous implications for the future of electrification, and ultimately the sustainability of our global society.
A significant investment in an innovative and rigorous R&D agenda is needed now to examine how urbanization and electrification interact with each other and with other trends confronting cities. This agenda must include physical, engineering, behavioral, and decision-making sciences to accomplish five overarching goals:
i. Develop innovative and rigorous scientific approaches, including data, models, and tools to examine the multiscale drivers, attributes, and impacts of urban electrification
ii. Design generalizable science accurately representing socio-spatial and temporal differences across and within cities and their countries
iii. Analyze the implications of electrification across multiple sectors for the future of cities and of urbanization using projections, scenarios, and data-driven models
iv. Utilize a systems approach to analyze human behavior and decision making, together with social, economic, technologic, environmental, and governance (SETEG) conditions, defining barriers and enablers, pressures for and against energy transitions, path dependencies, and levers of change.
v. Identify and analyze the outcomes, actions, and options, to maximize potential co-benefits and minimize undesirable trade-offs.
* This paper is an outcome of the workshop on “Urban Electrification” held April 17–18, 2019, sponsored by NREL’s Transportation and Hydrogen Systems Center and the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation of the University of Chicago. Around 30 participants were invited to create a rationale for a research and development (R&D) agenda that more comprehensively focuses on urbanization, electrification and cities. The main goals were to:
i. Analyze the state of the science and gaps in knowledge
ii. Develop R&D that integrates NREL capabilities with the social science methodologies
iii. Create a community of research and practice in this emerging field.
11 citations
TL;DR: Li et al. as discussed by the authors investigated the uptake of EVs in Beijing, China, with a focus on the whole process of purchasing an EV, as well as the relevant policies, which is divided into four stages, namely, ignored and neglected, proactive attention and comparison and selection of vehicles.
Abstract: The adoption behavior of electric vehicles (EVs) has received considerable attention. However, the whole process of purchase behavior has not been well understood. In response, this paper investigates the uptake of EVs in Beijing, China, with a focus on the whole process of purchasing an EV, as well as the relevant policies. Specifically, the classical Howard–Sheth theory is used to the analyze the whole process of EV purchasing, which is divided into four stages here, namely, “Ignored and Neglected”, “Proactive Attention”, “Comparison and Selection of Vehicles” and “Usage Evaluation”. Furthermore, several “what-if” scenarios are set up to quantify the influence of some typical EV-related polices, including the license plate lottery policy and no traffic constriction on battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The results suggest: (1) 63.4% of BEV owners have rigid travel demands with cars; (2) BEVs with a driving range of 500 km, 30-minutes charging time and price of RMB 15,000 are the first choices for the majority of people; (3) 64% of BEV owners are influenced by positive comments from the users around them in the adoption of EVs; (4) the no traffic constriction on BEVs tends to be more influential than the license plate lottery policy in terms of the numbers of applications for the vehicle purchase permits and BEV purchasers, as well as energy saving and vehicular emission reduction. These findings should be helpful for different EV-related stakeholders, such as the government, to shape their policies and promote the development of EVs.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the influence of range related knowledge, practical driving experience and the encounter of a critical range situation (i.e., experience of a small range buffer) on drivers' range stress.
Abstract: The challenge of reducing worldwide greenhouse gas emissions has become increasingly important in recent years. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are a promising alternative having the potential for a CO2 neutral and sustainable utilization over the whole vehicle lifetime. However, BEVs limited range is still considered as one important usage barrier. Reducing drivers' experience of range stress is discussed as one possibility to overcome this barrier. The objective of the present research was to investigate the influence of range related knowledge, practical driving experience and the encounter of a critical range situation (i.e., experience of a small range buffer) on drivers' range stress. A specific focus lied on the effects of critical range situation encounters on experienced BEV drivers. A field experiment with 63 participants (20 experienced drivers and 43 inexperienced drivers) who drove a BEV in a critical range situation was conducted. Results indicate that range related knowledge and practical driving experience reduced range stress. The experience of the critical range situation is related to lower range stress, even for the experienced BEV drivers. The results can be useful to derive strategies and design recommendations aimed at reducing the experience of BEV drivers' range stress.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the process that led to the development of a national survey instrument used to gather over 20,000 observations across Canada, which captured aspects of household preferences and behavioural intentions towards electric vehicles through a choice experiment and a comprehensive suite of attitudinal questions.
Abstract: This paper reviews the process that led to the development of a national survey instrument used to gather over 20,000 observations across Canada. This survey captured aspects of household preferences and behavioural intentions towards electric vehicles through a choice experiment and a comprehensive suite of attitudinal questions. Background information on demographics, residential location and context, vehicle ownership and purchase plans, and travel patterns among other aspects were also collected. Important survey design decisions are examined that include: the choice and implications of using a survey panel, screening criteria for the sample, conceptualization of the observational unit for the sample, critical aspects relating to the choice experiment, and tactics employed to manage and measure survey cognitive burden. Novel aspects associated with the survey design are discussed in this paper and these have enabled new research works on the implications of vehicle body type on choice of powertrain and insights into spatial variation in electric vehicle preferences. Results and insights discussed are seen as relevant for a range of survey practitioners including those with a focus on the consumer.
11 citations
References
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TL;DR: Ajzen, 1985, 1987, this article reviewed the theory of planned behavior and some unresolved issues and concluded that the theory is well supported by empirical evidence and that intention to perform behaviors of different kinds can be predicted with high accuracy from attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control; and these intentions, together with perceptions of behavioral control, account for considerable variance in actual behavior.
65,095 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report results of two questionnaire studies aimed at examining various motives for car use, and investigate individual differences in the relative importance of the three categories of motives were investigated.
Abstract: This paper reports results of two questionnaire studies aimed at examining various motives for car use. In the first study, a random selection of 185 respondents who possess a driving licence were interviewed. Respondents were recruited from the cities of Groningen and Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The sample of the second study comprised a random selection of 113 commuters who regularly travelled during rush hours in and around Rotterdam, a region in the west of the Netherlands. First, it was examined which categories of car use motives may be distinguished. As proposed by Dittmar’s (1992) [The social psychology of material possessions: to have is to be. Havester Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead, UK; St. Martin’s Press, New York] model on the meaning of material possessions, results from both studies revealed that car use not only fulfils instrumental functions, but also important symbolic and affective functions. Second, it was studied to what extent these different motives are related to the level of car use. From the results of study 2, it appeared that commuter car use was most strongly related to symbolic and affective motives, and not to instrumental motives. Third, individual differences in the relative importance of the three categories of motives were investigated. In both studies, most group differences were found in the evaluation of the symbolic and affective motives (and not the instrumental ones). Especially frequent drivers, respondents with a positive car attitude, male and younger respondents valued these non-instrumental motives for car use. These results suggest that policy makers should not exclusively focus on instrumental motives for car use, but they should consider the many social and affective motives as well.
1,064 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the relative efficacy of state sales tax waivers, income tax credits and non-tax incentives for hybrid-electric vehicle adoption in the United States has been studied and shown that the type of tax incentive offered is as important as the value of the tax incentive.
Abstract: Federal, state and local governments use a variety of incentives to induce consumer adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles. We study the relative efficacy of state sales tax waivers, income tax credits and non-tax incentives and find that the type of tax incentive offered is as important as the value of the tax incentive. Conditional on value, we find that sales tax waivers are associated a seven-fold greater increase in hybrid sales than income tax credits. In addition, we estimate the extent to which consumer adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV) in the United States from 2000-2006 can be attributed to government incentives, changing gasoline prices, or consumer preferences for environmental quality or energy security. After controlling for model specific state and time trends, we find that rising gasoline prices are associated with higher hybrid sales, although the effect operates entirely through sales of the hybrid models with the highest fuel economy. In total, we find that tax incentives, rising gasoline prices and social preferences are associated with 6, 27 and 36 percent of high economy hybrid sales from 2000-2006.
595 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore both the promise and the possible pitfalls of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept, focusing first on its definition and then on its technical state-of-the-art.
551 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a full year of high-resolution driving data from 484 instrumented gasoline vehicles in the US is used to analyze daily driving patterns, and from those infer the range requirements of electric vehicles (EVs).
Abstract: One full year of high-resolution driving data from 484 instrumented gasoline vehicles in the US is used to analyze daily driving patterns, and from those infer the range requirements of electric vehicles (EVs). We conservatively assume that EV drivers would not change their current gasoline-fueled driving patterns and that they would charge only once daily, typically at home overnight. Next, the market is segmented into those drivers for whom a limited-range vehicle would meet every day’s range need, and those who could meet their daily range need only if they make adaptations on some days. Adaptations, for example, could mean they have to either recharge during the day, borrow a liquid-fueled vehicle, or save some errands for the subsequent day. From this analysis, with the stated assumptions, we infer the potential market share for limited-range vehicles. For example, we find that 9% of the vehicles in the sample never exceeded 100 miles in one day, and 21% never exceeded 150 miles in one day. These drivers presumably could substitute a limited-range vehicle, like electric vehicles now on the market, for their current gasoline vehicle without any adaptation in their driving at all. For drivers who are willing to make adaptations on 2 days a year, the same 100 mile range EV would meet the needs of 17% of drivers, and if they are willing to adapt every other month (six times a year), it would work for 32% of drivers. Thus, it appears that even modest electric vehicles with today’s limited battery range, if marketed correctly to segments with appropriate driving behavior, comprise a large enough market for substantial vehicle sales. An additional analysis examines driving versus parking by time of day. On the average weekday at 5 pm, only 15% of the vehicles in the sample are on the road; at no time during the year are fewer than 75% of vehicles parked. Also, because the return trip home is widely spread in time, even if all cars plug in and begin charging immediately when they arrive home and park, the increased demand on the electric system is less problematic than prior analyses have suggested.
541 citations