How to Trigger Mass-Market Adoption for Electric Vehicles? - An Analysis of Potential Electric Vehicle Drivers in Austria

摘要

As industry and governments are looking to counteract by incentivizing EV purchase, it becomes paramount to better understand potential EV adopters' and drivers of early adoption. Therefore, this study first analyzes early adopters, potential adopters and non-adopters of EVs drawing on a representative sample in Austria. Findings indicate that socio-psychological but less so, socio-demographic factors, play a significant role in predicting membership to defined adoption-segments. Non-adopters are more likely to have a more individualistic and less egalitarian worldview and also yield a less pro-environmental and pro-technological attitude compared to early adopters. Furthermore, early adopters are more likely to live in regions with EV policy incentives. Using cluster analysis this study further identifies four groups of potential EV adopters based on their evaluation of EV purchase and non-purchase motives. The potential adopter segments strongly differ in their socio-demographic and socio-psychological characteristics and their preferences for policy incentives. Implications for the design of effective policy schemes and marketing measures are discussed.