Electric vehicles adoption behaviour: Synthesising the technology readiness index with environmentalism values and instrumental attributes

Abstract

Since the introduction of Electric Vehicles (EVs) into the consumer market, the most important question has been how to persuade people to adopt this product. This is a very challenging mission for the industry and governments due to the nature of the product. It is a revolutionary innovation which means that it imposes major shifts in driving behaviour. The adoption rate however is slowly growing worldwide. Previous studies have shed light on the mechanism in which consumers express willingness to purchase EVs, mainly from the perspective of instrumental attributes (the perceived functional aspects of EVs) and the environmentalism values. This paper includes some behavioural traits to previous prediction models as plausible drivers to purchase EVs: Technology Readiness Index (TRI), and Desire for Unique Consumer Products (DUCP). These traits were synthesised with the aforementioned instrumental attributes and environmentalism values to offer a broad perspective on what drives the purchase intention of EVs. This study was conducted in the UK through intercept survey, with a sample size of 336 individuals. The results suggest that TRI, manifested through innovativeness and insecurity towards technology, is a significant driver of EV purchase intention. In addition, three instrumental factors, namely driving range, convenience, and fuel costs, were found as significant predictors. Unlike previous studies that suggest EVs should be targeted towards environmentalist consumers, this study found weaker support for this claim. DUCP was also not found to be a significant factor, contrary to previous findings. The term EV in this article refers to battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV), which are fully electric vehicles with chargeable batteries.