Carbon savings, fun, and money: The effectiveness of multiple motives for eco-driving and green charging with electric vehicles in Germany

Abstract

Electric vehicles can contribute to CO2 emission reduction significantly because these vehicles can be charged with renewable energy (green charging). Second, these vehicles can be driven energy-efficiently by using in-vehicle eco-features and by adapting eco-driving behaviors (e.g., avoid excessive speed). However, both green charging and eco-driving are associated with behavioral costs (e.g., time losses), which could discourage individuals from performing the behaviors. Therefore, this study investigated if interventions (e.g., monetary incentives) could motivate behavioral action. We conducted an experimental driving study with 94 German drivers on the company site of a vehicle manufacturer and on public roads in the south of Germany to investigate how combined interventions affect green charging and eco-driving. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group. The findings suggest that a combined intervention with informational cues (i.e., CO2 emission savings) as well as gamified (i.e., competitive task) and monetary incentives did not significantly motivate individuals to choose a green charging station. However, the intervention did motivate individuals to seek eco-driving information. Being interested in eco-driving behaviors helped to improve energy consumption during a real-world drive. Hence, interventions providing behavioral information and addressing multiple motives should be further investigated to understand how future electric vehicle owners can be motivated to behave pro-environmentally.