DO YOU MIND IF I PLUG-IN MY CAR? HOW ETIQUETTE SHAPES PEV DRIVERS’ VEHICLE CHARGING BEHAVIOR

摘要

PEVs engage drivers in an essential new behavior—plugging the car into theelectrical grid to charge the vehicles’ batteries. Broadly, it has beenassumed that if away-from-home charging infrastructure is in place and PEVdrivers know of it, they will perceive an opportunity to charge. Theexperiences of early PEV drivers cause us to rethink this assumption.Drivers report a lack of etiquette, i.e., rules to guide their behaviorand their expectations of how other PEV drivers ought to behave in the newsocial interactions. PEV drivers want widely shared, understood, andpracticed charging guidelines in order to feel comfortable and confidentin charging away-from-home. This study uses thematic analysis oftranscripts, amended by field notes, of interviews of 28 PEV drivinghouseholds in San Diego County, California. Themes emerged within twotypes of away from home charging. First, public chargers available to anyPEV driver were the sites of multiple situations in which drivers’perceived a lack of rules or perceived conflicts between different systemsof rules; both inhibited charger use. Second, workplace charging adds anadditional layer of rules and possibly resources that may either inhibitor encourage PEV charging. If PEV markets and charger networks continue togrow, charging will be shaped by more systems of rules and regulations,e.g., those governing financial transactions. Our results suggests thatnew rules may create as much uncertainty as guidance.