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 2018
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the influence of institutional and stakeholder pressures on carbon management practices and associated carbon disclosure strategies in the context of the global logistics industry and provided insights into the mechanisms behind the adoption of carbon disclosure.
Abstract: This thesis employs a six study, mixed-method research focusing on extending and expanding upon the literature examining the influences of institutional and stakeholder pressures on carbon management practices and associated carbon disclosure strategies. More specifically, the research investigates how both pressures influence the extent of disclosure in the context of the global logistics industry. In doing so, the thesis provides insights into the mechanisms behind the adoption of carbon disclosure and the effectiveness of carbon management practices.
This research responds to previous research in carbon disclosure which has indicated that carbon management practices vary widely due to multiple internal and external pressures. The implications of pressures on carbon management practices have been investigated in diverse contexts such as its relationship to financial performance, carbon emissions reduction, or legitimisation tactics. Yet, the application of carbon management practices and their implications on carbon disclosure strategies and their underlying drivers has received limited research attention, in particular in the context of the global logistics industry. As a result, the first paper of this thesis addresses this gap through a systematic literature review, posing the first research question:
RQ1. To what extent have carbon management practices been implemented in the global logistics industry?
The results of the systematic literature review showed limited application of carbon management practices in the logistics industry, in particular carbon disclosure research was highly under-represented and was identified as the biggest opportunity for further research. These findings led to the development of Papers B and C, where similarities and differences in carbon reporting and disclosure were examined through an institutional lens. Using case studies from global logistics companies, both papers used a qualitative approach to provide insight into whether these companies follow a symbolic or substantial disclosure approach, and which underlying dominant logic drives carbon disclosure behaviour, in answering the research questions:
RQ2. How does the sustainability logic influence carbon disclosure behaviour?
RQ2a. Which disclosure behaviour - symbolic or substantial - dominates carbon reporting in the global logistics industry?
RQ2b. How does the emergence of sustainability influence the extent of carbon reporting?
The findings of this study revealed significant differences in the applied carbon disclosure approaches and their underlying logics. From an institutional logics perspective, corporate carbon disclosure practices are either dominated by a market logic emphasizing the economic benefits of carbon reductions, or by a sustainability logic following a more transparent approach. From a theoretical viewpoint, the study provides a more detailed conceptual foundation by linking the different carbon disclosure strategies to the underlying logics that drive carbon disclosure approaches.
However, although both papers provide important insights into the differences in carbon reporting behaviour, the focus on institutional logics provides only limited understanding of the conditions under which these different outcomes arise. This limitation led to the development of Paper D, a conceptual paper that integrates stakeholder theory with institutional theory. Paper D thereby provides a theoretical framework for examining institutional and stakeholder influences, and complements the institutional dimension with a stakeholder dimension, leading to the research question:
RQ3. How does the interaction between institutional and stakeholder pressures influence carbon disclosure strategies in global logistics companies?
The paper uses both dimensions to build an integrative model that depicts four types of carbon disclosure strategies in the global logistics industry based on the extent of institutional and stakeholder pressures. To examine the extent of institutional pressures, the paper introduces the concept of ‘logics centrality’, representing the position of the sustainability logic, that is, to what extent climate change values are internally integrated into a company’s value system. To examine stakeholder pressures, the paper follows the concept of stakeholder salience, that is, to what extent external stakeholder claims are given priority. The study in Paper D seeks to understand how stakeholder pressures and institutional logics interact, thereby advancing existing research by exploring how organisations are impacted by both firm-level agency and field-level pressures.
To apply the model from Paper D, Paper E was developed and represents an empirical study that utilises data collected from Bloomberg ESG and CDP data. In particular, 26 specific carbon management practices were identified in order to examine the degree of institutional as well as stakeholder pressures and their influence on disclosure strategies, posing the research question:
RQ4a. To what extent do specific internal and external carbon management practices influence corporate carbon disclosure strategies?
RQ4b. From a corporate perspective, what carbon disclosure strategies have been adopted?
The findings show that the majority of companies align internal and external carbon management practices, reflecting a consistent strategic approach towards carbon disclosure. Most companies follow either a transparent or a symbolic approach, indicating that these companies are either engaged in both internal and external practices or in neither. From a theoretical viewpoint, the analysis indicates that most companies see the sustainability logic as a core function in the company, while at the same time giving priority to stakeholder claims that go beyond market-driven initiatives, leading to transparency and full carbon disclosure. However, although the study applies the model from Paper D and provides interesting results, it is limited as it does not address whether or how disclosure strategies have shifted over time, leading to the last research questions of this thesis:
RQ4c. To what extent have internal and external pressures led to a change in carbon management practices?
RQ4d. To what extent have internal and external pressures led to a change in carbon disclosure strategies?
Using a similar dataset as in Paper E, the findings show overall shifts to more transparent corporate carbon disclosure strategies between 2010 and 2015, with an increase in applied carbon management practices in both internal and external actions, driven by internal practices. From a theoretical viewpoint, the study shows that companies have increasingly integrated climate change into their value systems, represented by a shift of the sustainability logic closer to the organisational core function.
This research applies a more rigorous theoretical and empirical research approach to develop insight through an institutional and stakeholder lens, and therefore extends carbon disclosure research. Papers B and C identify not only the dominant logics behind carbon disclosure behaviour, but also provide interesting insights into the similarities and differences using real-life logistics examples. More importantly, Paper D develops a framework to distinguish between institutional and stakeholder pressures, providing a theoretical framework to examine the influence of these pressures on carbon disclosure strategies. This marks the first conceptual model in carbon disclosure research that combines theoretical constructs from institutional and stakeholder theory to examine and categorise internal and external influences. Finally, Papers E and F examine the influence of carbon management practices on disclosure strategies by applying the model discussed in Paper D. Both Papers E and F empirically categorise carbon disclosure strategies which have not been previously identified in carbon disclosure research, and therefore have the potential to provide a better understanding of carbon disclosure practices and strategies.
16 citations
27 Jun 2014
TL;DR: IBM BigInsights platform technologies, including Hadoop, Streams, SPSS modeler and text analytics, are utilized for looking into the insights of collected data.
Abstract: Energy overconsumption and greenhouse gas emission have been contributing to air pollutions and the global warming for years. The unceasingly increasing number of fossil fuels based vehicles around the world is considered as one of main factors making to the situation worse year by year. Electric vehicles (EV) are promoted as a viable and promising alternative transportation means for customers. However, there is an array of issues hindering EVs from the fast adoption in the global auto market. As these issues bear different priorities that surely vary with marketplaces, it becomes essential for EV makers and governments to capture and understand the dynamics of EV consumers in real time. This paper explores how the emerging big data technologies can be applied to facilitate the process of deciphering the acceptance and behavior of EV customers from marketplace to marketplace. A data-collecting web system is discussed. IBM BigInsights platform technologies, including Hadoop, Streams, SPSS modeler and text analytics, are utilized for looking into the insights of collected data. Examples are provided to show the promising future of big data technologies in the field of customer analytics in today's globalized economy.
16 citations
Cites background from "Barriers to widespread adoption of ..."
...The successful stories of EV introduction to and/or penetration into the auto marketplaces are very encouraging, including the EV showcases in 2008 Beijing Olympics [2] and, recently the astonishingly increased sales by Tesla [3]....
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...EVs are still new and disruptive technologies to most customers....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a statistical model relating charging station infrastructure and other potential factors to PEV adoption rate in 58 California counties, and found that male buyers in households with fewer number of vehicles are more likely to purchase PEVs particularly in counties with more available public charging station per capita.
Abstract: Plug-in electric Vehicles (PEVs) are believed to be one of the solutions to mitigate emissions from road transportation. Which types of factors are most effective at encouraging PEV adoption, and what magnitude of reduction in emissions could be achieved by expanding charging infrastructure as an influential factor on PEVs? To answer these questions, we developed a statistical model relating charging station infrastructure and other potential factors to PEV adoption rate in 58 California counties. We found that male buyers in households with fewer number of vehicles are more likely to purchase PEVs particularly in counties with more available public charging station per capita. Then we investigated the life-cycle petroleum use, emissions, and costs of light duty vehicles for a hypothetical scenario where existing public charging stations are expanded relative to total daily miles travelled in each county. We found under this scenario Modoc County experiences the largest reduction in life-cycle GHG emissions, by 0.035%, followed by Sierra and Mono counties. The smallest potential is found in counties with low response rate to expanded charging station infrastructure, led by Alpine, Del Norte, and King counties. For 20 counties, including Butte, San Joaquin, and San Francisco, the benefit-cost ratio is less than one, which means the investment and maintenance costs of new infrastructure have not been offset by operation and externality cost savings. For the rest of the counties, this scenario is found to be compatible. The results assist planners in assessing environmental and economic benefits of PEVs and optimizing infrastructural investments.
16 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated battery electric vehicle substitution of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) on a provincial level, to better plan for additional electricity requirements and developed the E-StratBEV model, using system dynamics.
16 citations
02 Mar 2015
TL;DR: In this article, an electrohydraulic hybrid vehicle is compared with a baseline battery electric vehicle under an urban driving cycle and the results show a reduction in the energy consumption as well as a reduction of the battery current transients.
Abstract: The limitations of electrochemical batteries are one of the chief reasons that the widespread adoption of electric vehicles is slowing down. An alternative to overcome this is to use hybrid energy storage systems. One seldom explored alternative is the possibility of combining the electrical and hydraulic components of the battery in a powertrain intended for passenger vehicle use. The present research models an electrohydraulic hybrid vehicle and compares it with a baseline battery electric vehicle under an urban driving cycle. The results show a reduction in the energy consumption as well as a reduction in the battery current transients.
16 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