The role of norms and collective efficacy for the importance of techno‐economic vehicle attributes in Germany

Abstract

The shift to electric mobility lags pursued goals. In this article we analyze the consumer's perspective and examine, which technology attributes and person‐related factors influence electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and whether differences in person‐related factors affect vehicle attribute importance. A total of 1922 participants took part in a Germany‐wide, representative study comprising a questionnaire measuring person‐related factors and a discrete choice experiment determining the importance of technology‐specific attributes. Results from the choice experiment for all vehicles classes reveal that purchase price was the most important vehicle attribute. Less important for the choice of a small‐sized vehicle were in descending order: range, fuel costs, fuel type, refueling infrastructure, CO2‐emissions and CO2‐tax. Regression analyses further indicate that subjective norms, collective efficacy, technological risk attitude and perceived information were the strongest predictors for purchase intention in the questionnaire. Participants showing high values on these factors also weighted attribute importance in the choice experiment differently, but throughout favoring EVs, than participants with low values on these factors. Factors that are disadvantageous for EV, such as range and price, were de‐emphasized by these respondents. In addition, preference shares for battery electric vehicles were more than twice as high as for conventional vehicles in three out of four groups with high values. Socio‐psychological factors, therefore, seem to relativize the impact of mere techno‐economic factors on electric vehicle adoption. Hence, we recommend that these factors receive greater attention in the discourse on policy measures.

Perceived value and preferences of purchasing EVs

“…The other criteria like: performance, durability, environment, and convenience, are given less priority. However, in contrast, after 10 years, factors unfavourable to EVs, such as purchase price and driving range, were depreciated by respondents in Germany (Berneiser et al, 2021(Berneiser et al, , p. 1123. In the research based on Spain, Junquera et al (2016, p. 7) included: purchase price, driving range, recharging time, and the age of consumers, assuming them to be the most important determinants of the adoption of EVs.…”

“…This is conducive to buying green products that are considered as environmentally friendly because of being less harmful to humans and the environment (Perera et al, 2022a, p.4-5). Berneiser et al (2021Berneiser et al ( , p. 1122) discovered that older people showed a lower willingness to buy than younger people. Taking into consideration cohorts X, Y and Z, Ghasri et al (2019, p. 288) noted that for Gen Y respondents, EVs are better designed and have a lower environmental impact.…”

Does lead userness matter for electric vehicle adoption? An integrated perspective of social capital and domain‐specific innovativeness

“…In the context of Chinese cultural, complex systems exist for constructing interpersonal relationships for social functioning, such as guanxi and mianzi (Anglès, 2019). Therefore, some social factors, such as social norms, collective efficacy, interpersonal network relationships and traditional values, are also emphasised in the EV adoption literature (Berneiser et al, 2021; Chen et al, 2019; Jansson et al, 2011; Jansson et al, 2017; Li et al, 2020). EV adoption is a consumer behaviour that has a positive (or less negative) impact on the environment and therefore falls under the category of responsible consumption in sustainable consumption (Lim, 2017).…”

A Systematic Literature Review on Vehicle-Purchasing Behaviour

“…Table 3.1 shows that purchasing cost is a significant factor for vehicle-purchasing behavior. Considering the ownership cost, the purchase price of an energy-efficient vehicle is normally higher than the comparable non-green vehicle (Sousa et al, 2020;Berneiser et al, 2020;Hardman et al, 2016;Rolim et al, 2014). Apart from purchasing cost, fuel cost must also be considered while purchasing a vehicle (Caulfield et al, 2010).…”