Assessment of Factors in the Reduction of BEV Operational Inconvenience

Abstract

As governments and the automotive industry push toward electrification, it becomes increasingly critical to address the broad set of factors influence individual car buying decisions. Evidence suggests that operational inconvenience or the perception thereof plays a large role in consumer decisions concerning Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). BEV ownership inconvenience and its causal factors have been relatively understudied, rendering efforts to mitigate the issues insufficiently informed. This paper presents an empirical equation, derived using a novel data-based method, which relates operational inconvenience to a small number of housing and local Electric Vehicle Supply Equimpent (EVSE) infrastructure factors. The equation and method provided can be used to conduct quantitative analyses on the inconvenience impacts of current and proposed EVSE infrastructure. Ultimately such a quantitative approach is needed to understand and mitigate large inequities of BEV experience and adoption which might emerge from electrification.