Abstract
Electric vehicles (EVs) are low-carbon innovations that decrease emissions in transportation. Understanding what drives individual propensity to choose EVs supports policymakers in shaping effective low-carbon mobility policies. Within the MOBSTER Interreg project, data were collected using a survey administered to residents in three Alpine cross-border regions—Canton Ticino (Switzerland), South Tyrol (Italy), and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Italy)—and were analyzed with a logistic regression. This study reports on the relevant drivers of EV uptake, showing (i) that some sociodemographic attributes positively impact the propensity to choose an EV (e.g., young age and teenage children), (ii) that the presence and visibility of charging infrastructures are important, and (iii) that the role of tourism is not a driver of EV uptake. This study confirms that policies should consider sociodemographics, social practices, and physical infrastructures as playing roles in EV uptake. Future research should address the issue of access to low-carbon innovations for all.
Highlights
The final sample of interviews amounted to 1000 individuals, divided into the three study areas as follows, cosistent with the total amount of residents and yearly tourist flows: interviews were conducted in South Tyrol, were conducted in Canton Ticino, and 200 were conducted in Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
The results of our model show a positive relationship between the level of education and Electric vehicles (EVs) adoption, as already found in previous studies
Concerning the perceived present barriers to future EV purchase in our study’s sample, primarily sales prices and battery autonomy, the IEA foresees that the number of EV purchases will increase in the few years thanks to fiscal incentives and other complementary measures [17] that would lessen the economic burden of purchasing an EV
Summary
A number of policies and incentives to support EV uptake are already in place in most European countries; several of them have shown a positive response from the market [15,16,17,18]. Several studies [14,20,21] pointed out that fiscal tools are some of the most successful ones in shaping consumer demand for EVs in the introductory phase of this new technology, while others state that there is still a public and scientific debate as to which of the policies provide an effective mix to boost EV numbers in private and company fleets in a given area, especially when it comes to cross-contamination of policy effects among different border regions [16,22,23]
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