Electric Vehicle Range Anxiety: An Obstacle for the Personal Transportation (R)evolution?

Abstract

Trends in the electromobility industry, increasing research efforts related to alternative fueled vehicles, as well as growing environmental concerns are suggesting that the transition from the internal combustion engine technology to electric vehicles (EV) is necessary and inevitable. To ensure and enable rapid market penetration of EVs, one major obstacle needs to be addressed - range anxiety, a fear of running out of electricity before reaching another available charging station. This research employs a survey methodology to assess potential EV owners’ perception of range anxiety with the goal of quantifying and explaining it through key EV parameters: state of charge (i.e., a relative measure comparing the remaining amount of energy in the EV battery with the maximum capacity) and remaining range (i.e., how much distance the EV can still reach without re-charging). Through the survey analysis, we answered two relevant research questions that fall into the range anxiety research agenda: (i) how potential EV owners perceive the optimal distance between charging stations in comparison to traditional, well-developed gas station infrastructure; and (ii) how key EV parameters influence the decision to charge as well as the distance one is willing to travel to reach another charging station that may or may not be occupied. This research is beneficial for business makers as the knowledge about range anxiety is very important for making decisions about charging station placement, as well as for the research community since range anxiety is a variable that could and should be included in various research areas centered around EVs. Besides business makers and researchers, this work is beneficial to the society in general as it may potentially have a positive impact on raising awareness about the necessity of electrification in the transportation industry.