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 article, the authors analyzed the energy consumption rate and driving range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and provided insight into the factors that affect their energy consumption by harnessing big data from real-world driving.
Abstract: Analyzing the factors that affect the energy efficiency of vehicles is crucial to the overall improvement of the environmental efficiency of the transport sector, one of the top polluting sectors at the global level. This study analyses the energy consumption rate (ECR) and driving range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and provides insight into the factors that affect their energy consumption by harnessing big data from real-world driving. The analysis relied on four data sources: (i) driving patterns collected from 741 drivers over a two-year period; (ii) drivers’ characteristics; (iii) road type; (iv) weather conditions. The results of the analysis measure the mean ECR of BEVs at 0.183 kW h/km, underline a 34% increase in ECR and a 25% decrease in driving range in the winter with respect to the summer, and suggest the electricity tariff for BEVs to be cost efficient with respect to conventional ones. Moreover, the results of the analysis show that driving speed, acceleration and temperature have non-linear effects on the ECR, while season and precipitation level have a strong linear effect. The econometric model of the ECR of BEVs suggests that the optimal driving speed is between 45 and 56 km/h and the ideal temperature from an energy efficiency perspective is 14 °C. Clearly, the performance of BEVs highly depends on the driving environment, the driving patterns, and the weather conditions, and the findings from this study enlighten the consumers to be more informed and manufacturers to be more aware about the actual utilization of BEVs.
91 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the results from a choice experiment conducted across Denmark Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden focusing on electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology and present the willingness to pay for driving range, acceleration, recharging time, fuel source, and vehicle togrid capability.
90 citations
Cites background from "Barriers to widespread adoption of ..."
...Nonetheless, EVs have underperformed globally in their implementation to decarbonize transport, with one central barrier being cost (6,7)....
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TL;DR: Results demonstrate that subsidy policy phase-outs can help to develop the NEV industry and the probability of an ideal event is positively correlated with the vehicle purchase tax, additional benefits for NEV manufacturers, penalties for fossil vehicle manufacturers and the coverage ratio of public charging piles.
90 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a conceptual framework of user acceptance consisting of motile pleasure, sociality, sociotechnical commensurability, and habitual momentum.
Abstract: I expand and integrate a theory of mobility (Automobility) with one of science and technology (Actor Network Theory) and one about social acceptance and user adoption (UTAUT). I apply this integrative framework to the diffusion (and non-diffusion) of electric vehicles and the process of electric mobility. I begin by presenting my methods, namely semi-structured qualitative research interviews with social theorists. Then, I present the three theories deemed most relevant by respondents. Automobility holds that, on a cultural or social level, automobiles exist as part of a complex, one that involves hardware and infrastructure—a hybridity between drivers and machines—along with patterns of identity and attitudes about driving pleasure. Actor Network Theory (ANT) involves the concepts of network assemblage, translation, enrollment, and actants and lieutenants. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, or UTAUT, states that on an individual level, the adoption of new technologies will be predicated on interconnected factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and other facilitating conditions. Based largely on the original interview data supplemented with peer-reviewed studies, I propose a conceptual framework of user acceptance consisting of motile pleasure, sociality, sociotechnical commensurability, and habitual momentum. I conclude with implications for research and policy.
90 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed data about recharge of electric cars in Rome during 2013 as a part of a national research project (P.R.I.M.E.).
90 citations
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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