Battery Electric Vehicle adoption in regions without strong policies

Highlights

• Revealed preferences from battery electric vehicle and conventional car holders.
• Survey data combined with home location data such as charger density.
• Mixed-effects model shows technology affinity is strongest predictor.
• Similarly green party preferences and home ownership increase adoption probability.
• No significant effects from home locations’ population or charging station density.

Abstract

Individual motorized transport is a major source of emissions and needs to be reduced to meet international agreements. Although alternatives to internal combustion engine vehicles are already on the market, without extensive political support, electric vehicle (EV) adoption remains low. Understanding the drivers of adoption of alternative technologies is key to develop effective measures to accelerate their diffusion. This paper presents individual consumer characteristics and home-location based spatial characteristics of current battery electric vehicle (BEV) and internal combustion engine vehicle holders, in a region free from strong EV policies. Using a generalized linear mixed-effects logistic model on this revealed preference data, we find that BEV adoption is predicted by technology affinity, high income, green party preferences, and living in one’s own house. Altogether, the study offers insights on the characteristics of early adopters of BEVs that can be valuable to policymakers, energy grid and charging infrastructure operators, as well as the automotive industry.