Exploring consumer attitudes and public opinions on battery electric vehicles

This paper presents the results of a survey conducted at the end of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) promotional project in Taipei. Consumer attitudes toward BEVs were evaluated and analyzed. Most people are positive about BEV application, indicating that the pilot project served its promotional and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of renewable and sustainable energy 2015-07, Vol.7 (4)
Main Authors: Cheng, Yao-Wen, Chen, John, Lin, Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Automobiles
Battery chargers
Charging
Consumer attitudes
Consumers
Demographics
Economic conditions
Electric vehicles
Government procurement
Internal combustion
Maintenance costs
Residential areas
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper presents the results of a survey conducted at the end of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) promotional project in Taipei. Consumer attitudes toward BEVs were evaluated and analyzed. Most people are positive about BEV application, indicating that the pilot project served its promotional and educational purposes. The respondents' purchase motivations and major expectations regarding the EVs were cross-examined with their level of satisfaction. Demographic characteristics, including gender, age, education, type of job, income, residential area, and car ownership status, were selected as influential factors. No significant difference was observed for the factors applied in this study, except that residential area may have influenced the degree of satisfaction. Younger consumers generally expressed less satisfaction; however, their willingness to purchase an EV was similar to that of consumers in general. Environmental and functional values were, respectively, ranked first and second for purchase motivation. Battery charging time and maintenance cost reduction were the first two major expectations in the decision to purchase an EV. Generally, consumers tended to accept a purchasing cost increase of 25%–50% higher than that of internal combustion vehicles. Central government, the industry, and consumers were considered to have the most critical roles in promoting the EV market, whereas economic conditions, technological advancements, and policy and regulations were the most needed breakthroughs. These results reveal that crucial technological breakthroughs and effective economic and political stimulations are required to initiate a successful social transition towards using BEVs.
ISSN:1941-7012
1941-7012
DOI:10.1063/1.4926772