Manifestations of the Groundswell in the Online Environment and its Impact on the Electric Cars Sales

Abstract

Electric vehicles are popular in many countries, and they have become a symbol of eco-innovations and saving nature. Governments are getting innovative with their incentive policies to encourage clean vehicle sales without too much cost and without benefiting high-income households. On the other hand, the development of information technologies, the increased availability of the Internet and the sharp increase in online media users have caused a significant change in several areas of consumer behaviour. The paper examines the possible impact of the groundswell phenomenon in the purchase of electric cars in 21 countries and analyzes the groundswell manifestations in the online environment and the sales of electric cars in recent years. It also examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and high electricity prices on the sales of electric cars, as well as on the interest in these products expressed by searching for related terms on the Internet. The author identifies trends in this area and provides an overview of current research and studies mapping the influence of the groundswell on the saleability and communication of eco-products.