Consumer behavior and the plug-in vehicle purchase: A research gap analysis

Panel: 4. Mobility, transport, and smart and sustainable cities

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Margaret Taylor, Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, Stanford University, USA
K. Sydny Fujita, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Abstract

With mass adoption and a “cleaner” electric power mix, battery electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in-hybrids (collectively plug-in electric vehicles, PEVs) can significantly reduce the CO2 emissions from transportation and the local air pollution hazard confronting a large number of Americans who live near busy roads. While fuel costs and tax breaks are the most oft-cited incentives for PEV ownership, PEVs bring additional benefits to consumers. Depending on the vehicle, PEVs can be: convenient to charge, as they are typically fueled overnight at consumers’ residences rather than at public stations; inexpensive to fuel and to maintain (e.g., electric motors have less parts than traditional engines, EV “consumables” like brakes tend to last longer, etc.); fun to drive, as electric drivetrains provide full torque quickly; and safe to drive, as battery weight tends to lower the vehicle’s center of gravity and improve handling. Despite these benefits and considerable investments by OEMs in PEVs, plus great interest by U.S. electric utilities, U.S. market expectations for PEVs are dampened by concerns about low consumer salience, given sustained low oil prices and the improved fuel economy of traditionally-fueled vehicles, as well as reduced incentives at the State and Federal level. Under these circumstances, growing the U.S. market for PEVs to increase their public and private benefits requires understanding how consumer behavior relates to the PEV purchase process. In this paper, we structure a research review on this subject using a framework that is well-established in academic marketing circles but is novel in the context of the PEV purchase process. The purpose of this approach is to highlight what is well known about this process and reveal important knowledge gaps for future research.