Analysis of barriers to adopt electric vehicles in India using fuzzy DEMATEL and Relative importance Index approaches

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are introduced to mitigate air pollution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. But the present EV sales are not impressive in India compared with other countries. Previous studies have attempted to identify the challenges to EV adoption based on the opinions of experts or road users. But it is essential to study both expert and users’ perspectives to understand the actual scenario. In addition, the government of India announced a revised FAME II subsidy for EV purchase in 2021, which has an additional incentive on the purchase cost. Thus, this study aims to identify the key potential barriers based on expert and customers’ perspectives. For this purpose, data were collected from the potential experts who have rich experience in EV, and 361 samples were collected from the customers who visited the EV showroom for an inquiry and test drive in Ahmedabad city, India. This study adopted the fuzzy DEMATEL method to identify the potential barriers based on expert opinion data and the Relative Importance Index (RII) method for prioritizing the barriers based on customers’ perspectives. The results show that the Higher initial purchase cost of a vehicle, Many EV manufacturers are new companies, Technical specification of the vehicle (power, acceleration, etc.), Less Mileage on a full charge of a battery, Non-Reliable battery technology, Lesser Adaptive competitive vehicle design, Limited availability of local technician, Limited availability of public charging stations, Higher waiting time at charging station if many vehicles are there, Safety concern while charging, Non-availability of charging facility on a long trip, and lack of understanding of subsidy policies (vehicle purchase subsidy and other EV incentives by government) are the major significant barrier in each group. Also, the revised FAME II subsidy policy and improvement on charging facilities have a significant positive effect on EV adoption. The outcome of this study will help the transport planners to develop necessary infrastructure facilities to boost EV. Also, this study outcome will help the EV policy makers and manufacturers to understand the consumer requirements.