By happy accident, an early podcast titled "Cracking the Code on How to Sell EVs" showed up on my iPhone. Part of Autoline TV, it is a hoot. Early adopters - already bought Torchbearers - waiting for the EV they want Young Enthusiasts - an EV is a performance buyer Stewarts - not a car enthusiasts but reliability and utility Survivors - avoid taking on complications Skeptic - "No Way EV!" Old Guard - utility requirements driven Source: https://escalent.co/news/escalent-launches-evforward-to-predict-purchase-behaviors-among-the-next-generation-of-electric-vehicle-buyers/ [EVForward is the largest, most comprehensive study of the next generation of EV buyers, with more than 600 variables encompassing proprietary survey information and Acxiom profiling data. Where other studies have relied on the behaviors of early adopters and self-identified intenders, EVForward is focused on the broader marketplace that will determine key aspects of EV mass adoption, from timing and cost to required features and infrastructure support. . . . To learn more about EVForward, join the Escalent Automotive & Mobility team for an informational webinar on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. EST. Mike Dovorany will share the most surprising insights gleaned from more than 10,000 respondents and answer the most important questions regarding the EV buyers of tomorrow, including: What will motivate the different types of future EV buyers, especially slower adopters and skeptics? How will EVs meet the needs of more consumers in the near future and attract mainstream buyers? What are the charging needs of future EV buyers? What are the corresponding infrastructure implications? I was unable to register for the March 11, webinar because my e-mail, non-business, was rejected. Perhaps some of the moderators or News team members might signup for it? Bob Wilson
ISPOS a global polling firm (they do a survey with ABC for election polls) has done some study on barriers to adoption of EVs. They have a synopsis of the study ("What Will it Take to Put Consumers in the Driver’s Seat of Battery Electric Vehicles?" https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/Battery-Electric-Vehicles ) but their full report is at " the second module of the Ipsos Global Mobility Navigator Syndicated Study, where 20,000 consumers worldwide shared their opinions on alternative engines and what it would take to get them to consider one" That is a paid report which is very similar to the report you are talking about? While their free article repeats most of the stuff that that has been discussed in this forum, there a some interesting tidbits 1. Our study revealed consumers are only willing to pay up to an extra 10% more for a BEV over a similar gas/diesel version of the vehicle. However, we see once that price point exceeds 20%, consideration in the BEV option drops considerably.” 2. The range barrier many consumers alluded to appears to be based on a misconception which causes ‘range anxiety’. The reality is the average American drives around 170 miles during their normal workweek. With many current BEVs offering 200 miles per full charge, an owner would only need to charge once a week to meet their driving needs, much like filling up gas once a week. The misconception of ‘range anxiety’ has many believing they couldn’t drive to the store without having to charge their BEV, with 45% incorrectly thinking they would need to charge their vehicle once a day or more. 3. “The U.S. exhibited some of the lowest familiarity with BEVs with only 10% indicating they know them ‘very well’.
Most people still have the ICE mindset - they are used to needing to "going some place" when they need to refuel, and I think a lot of them just assume that they would just need to go to a charging station in a BEV. And that leads them down this mental path where they worry about where the charging stations are, and how long it takes. And if it were the case that nobody charged at home, then yeah, it would be a pain in the ***.
It does depend on the area/region where you live, but a very round number is that 50% of the population does not live in single family residences with off street parking and the ability to charge at home. Many of these folks are in multifamily housing like apartments/condos. Some areas, mainly in California, are requiring new construction to plan for and install charging, but existing buildings are often problematic to retrofit. Workplace charging, if commonplace, could help offset much of that, but switching jobs could leave an EV driver with nowhere to charge conveniently. When we do events in more urban settings, we talk to lots of people that are very interested in an EV, but cannot charge it where they park at night or at their workplace. The answer is that charging an EV under those circumstances is possible, but it would be inconvenient and very likely more expensive to do so.
