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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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how the individual agency of academic researchers can influence communication and identify challenges to communication and opportunities to enhance the agency of researchers to engage in public dialogue, with a focus on academics at different stages of their careers.
Abstract: The translation of research findings into public realms has important implications for alternative technologies, such as electric vehicles (EVs). Much existing science communication research focuses on the agency of different publics in processes of scientific knowledge uptake. This study uses research related to the environmental and health impacts of EVs as a case study to explore how the individual agency of academic researchers can influence communication. Challenges to communication and opportunities to enhance the agency of researchers to engage in public dialogue are identified, with a focus on academics at different stages of their careers. This paper proposes a new way of understanding how these individualised nuances impact the communication of a particular researcher’s findings. These nuances are built through the researcher’s agency; a construct of their past experiences, professional and personal relationships with other actors and previous practices of communicating to publics. Commu...
6 citations
Cites background from "Barriers to widespread adoption of ..."
...This infrastructural disadvantage, alongside cost (of needed infrastructure and for the consumer as an alternative technology), has been a barrier to EV uptake since the “new generation” models (since 2001) that have been framed as a climate change mitigation technology (Egbue and Long 2012)....
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15 Feb 2019
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the procurement, use, and experience of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in Danish municipalities in relation to the notion of early adopters and socio-technical theory.
Abstract: This paper explores the procurement, use, and experience of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in Danish municipalities in relation to the notion of early adopters and socio-technical theory. Denmark has been one of the most ambitious countries in terms of electric vehicle adoption and use. This study used a combination of in-depth surveys and interviews with all 61 Danish municipalities on their fleet PEV experience and use. By building on the literature, the paper offers a deeper understanding of decision-making pathways for the procurement of PEVs. PEVs were found to be most suited to certain departments and the acceptance and uptake of PEVs was found to be complex and not straightforward.
6 citations
Additional excerpts
...To complement other studies that have focused primarily on technical and financial barriers, for example, Kalhammer et al. (2007) [7] and Egbue and Long (2012) [8], this paper investigates the operational barriers; such operational barriers ultimately determine overall usage and influence user…...
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TL;DR: In this article , the authors developed a technology evaluation model which incorporates technological factors and market criteria to facilitate decision-making for allocating resources to various renewable power technologies for passenger vehicles.
Abstract: The evolution in vehicle power technologies from the combustion engine to hybrid or pure electric vehicles requires automakers to mobilize organizational capability and change operational patterns. Aside from the incumbent conventional combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric vehicles of various engineering designs are currently competing as future technological alternatives. This research develops a technology evaluation model which incorporates technological factors and market criteria to facilitate decision making for allocating resources to various renewable power technologies for passenger vehicles. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the technology evaluation model was quantified by experts and consumers by ranking the relative performance of Lithium-Ion batteries, Fuel Cells, and Hybrid technologies. Expert quantification ranks these technological alternatives in order of technological performance, while consumer evaluation prioritizes user preferences. Demographic factors were used to classify consumer groups and variations in technological preferences between consumer groups were examined. The results show that Li-Ion technology has advantages in terms of purchasing cost, operating cost, and refuel facilities, while Fuel Cells outperform Li-Ion in terms of driving range, battery life, and refuel time. The environmental concern criterion is ranked first in the consumer evaluation result and is specifically preferred by high-income respondents and luxury car owners. The research bridges the characteristics of technological alternatives with market preferences, and its results facilitate the management decision in choosing the promising future technology.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors developed a machine learning framework to examine spatial disparities in EVCS placements by using a predictive approach, and compared the most accurately predicted EVCS placement density with a spatial inequity indicator to quantify how evenly these placements would be for Orange County, California.
6 citations
15 Jul 2014
TL;DR: Working document produced in the context of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), Sub-programme 1: Public perception and engagement.
Abstract: Working document produced in the context of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), Sub-programme 1: Public perception and engagement
6 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