This review of consumer EV adoption studies provides theoretical and empirical insights for research, policy and practice.
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Drivers for EV adoption include pro-environmental attitudes, symbolic meanings, identity, innovativeness and emotions.
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Purchase cost of EVs is found to be a barrier to adoption while lower running cost is shown to be a driver.
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Hands-on experience with EVs changed attitudes to a large extent, yet the negative evaluation of range did not change.
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Joy, pride and positive emotions from driving an EV and environmental concerns positively influence adoption intentions.
Abstract
In spite of the purported positive environmental consequences of electrifying the light duty vehicle fleet, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in use is still insignificant. One reason for the modest adoption figures is that the mass acceptance of EVs to a large extent is reliant on consumers’ perception of EVs. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the drivers for and barriers against consumer adoption of plug-in EVs, as well as an overview of the theoretical perspectives that have been utilized for understanding consumer intentions and adoption behavior towards EVs. In addition, we identify gaps and limitations in existing research and suggest areas in which future research would be able to contribute.
