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, a model has been developed based on two theoretical models called the Norm Activation Model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour to identify the influencing factors on consumers' intention to use electric vehicles.
85 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a geospatial modelling approach, exploring the potentials for deployment of publicly accessible charging opportunities for consumers based on trip characteristics (journey purpose and destinations); and PEV adoption intensity.
85 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the optimal locations for refueling stations for electric vehicles and developed a mixed integer nonlinear programming formulation and proposed a Benders-and-Price algorithm by combining the Benders decomposition and column generation to solve the proposed formulation.
Abstract: This paper investigates the optimal locations for refueling stations for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles have been successfully introduced into the market. However, their use seems to be limited to urban transport since recharging facilities are readily available only near home and work. Planning recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles is highly relevant because this will enable longer trips, including inter-state travel which requires multiple battery charges. Among various models to determine optimal locations of recharging stations, a flow refueling location model (FRLM) is considered in this study. It determines locations for recharging stations to maximize the flow that can travel between origin and destination pairs by refueling at built facilities. FRLM is extended by introducing a probabilistic consideration of the travel range which might vary depending on various factors including road conditions. We develop a mixed integer nonlinear programming formulation and propose a Benders-and-Price algorithm by combining the Benders decomposition and column generation to solve the proposed formulation. The proposed algorithm is validated using extensive computational experiments on two transport networks, including a real-life Texas highway network.
85 citations
TL;DR: In this article, consumer demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is investigated by examining the influence of consumer innovativeness alongside attitudes concerning the functional capabilities of EVs over EV preferences.
Abstract: The diffusion of electric vehicles (EVs) is regarded as an important aspect of government policy which aims to generate a transition to a low-carbon mobility system in the United Kingdom and the wider European context. This paper investigates consumer demand for EVs by examining the influence of consumer innovativeness alongside attitudes concerning the functional capabilities of EVs over EV preferences. A conceptual framework is developed and applied which includes measurements of innovativeness at both an adoptive level, through an assessment of technology ownership, and at an innate level, by measuring a cohort of psychological and sociological factors. Additionally, the framework incorporates measurements of attitudes towards the functional performance of EVs to determine their effect on preferences. Data has been collected through the application of a self-completion household survey distributed over the cities of Dundee and Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom. Results of the analysis indicate that adoptive innovativeness and attitudes concerning the functional performance of EVs significantly affect preferences for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
85 citations
Cites background from "Barriers to widespread adoption of ..."
...Specific attention has been paid to identifying barriers which are inhibiting EV demand (Egbue and Long, 2012), with the functional characteristics of EVs, such as restricted range and price premiums, representing prominent issues (Bunch et al., 1993; Eggers and Eggers, 2011, Krupa et al. 2014)....
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...Thirdly, the intervening variables which exist in terms of EV adoption, often discussed in the literature as adoption barriers (Egbue and Long, 2012; Steinhilber et al. 2013), are potentially IヴW;デｷﾐｪ ゲ┌Hゲデ;ﾐデｷ;ﾉ Sｷゲヴ┌ヮデｷﾗﾐゲ デﾗ デｴW デヴ;ﾐゲaWヴWﾐIW ﾗa ;ﾐ ｷﾐSｷ┗ｷS┌;ﾉげゲ ｷﾐﾐﾗ┗;デｷ┗WﾐWゲゲ ｷﾐデﾗ デｴWｷヴ ゲデ;デWS…...
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the factors that influence individual intentions towards the adoption of full electric vehicles and found that environmental concerns and the perception of environmental policy are antecedent factors of the perceived benefits of electric vehicles.
Abstract: This study examines the factors that influence individual intentions towards the adoption of full electric vehicles. A sample including 308 respondents was collected on the streets of Macau. The collected data were analysed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The results demonstrate that environmental concerns and the perception of environmental policy are antecedent factors of the perception of full electric vehicles, which influences the behavioural intention to purchase full electric vehicles. This study also finds that the perception of economic benefit is one of the key factors influencing the adoption of full electric vehicles. Vehicle operators seek economic benefits from future long-term fuel savings, high energy efficiency, and cheap electricity. Thus, a government striving to promote low-carbon transportation needs to scale up its efforts to enhance citizens’ environmental concerns and to establish proper environmental policy as well as to provide long-term financial and strategic support for electric vehicles.
84 citations
Cites background from "Barriers to widespread adoption of ..."
...To support the widespread adoption of full electric vehicles, there is a need to examine the factors influencing the consumer acceptance of these vehicles because consumer acceptance is a key to the commercial success (or failure) of full electric vehicles [7]....
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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