Home charging and electric vehicle diffusion: Agent-based simulation using choice-based conjoint data

Abstract

Electric vehicles offer the potential of climate-friendly driving and have received more and more attention in diffusion research recently. However, the effect of the availability of home charging options on the market potential of electric vehicles has not been targeted in detail in the diffusion process so far, although it represents a beneficial differentiation to conventional vehicles. Therefore, we present an agent-based simulation to address the buying behavior of German consumers regarding electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles using empirical data primarily derived from a choice-based conjoint study. We explicitly consider individual possibilities of home charging in our model, which appears to have an important influence on the diffusion of both, electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. However, its importance decreases with faster charging times at public charging stations. Furthermore, our findings reveal that in the longer term, technological progress in charging time, range, and charging station density of electric vehicles is presumably cannibalizing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles’ market shares more than that of conventional vehicles. However, with still lower technological capabilities of electric vehicles, a governmental subsidy can initially promote plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, but electric vehicles will benefit later from that promotional effect.