Under Pressure—Users’ Perception of Range Stress in the Context of Charging and Traditional Refueling

Abstract

Although electric drives can locally reduce the environmental impact of traffic, the penetration rates of battery electric vehicles (BEV) are far below expectations, not least because the charging infrastructure network is still considered insufficient by potential users. Therefore, the planning of charging infrastructure that considers both needs and user requirements is essential to remove an important barrier to widespread adaptation of e-vehicles, but it is also a challenge. A better understanding of the charging behavior and the underlying usage motivation is therefore needed. A frequently mentioned factor is the so-called range stress. While there are many studies on this subject with new BEV users, there is a lack of approaches that also include experienced e-vehicle users and at the same time allow a comparison with drivers of cars with internal combustion engines (ICE). In this paper, this is realized with the help of a questionnaire study ( n = 204 ). The results show that ICE and BEV users at different experience levels hardly differ regarding the perceived range stress; BEV users even perceive less stress. BEV users also showed more trust in the vehicle and in the tank/battery indicators, while this trust depends only marginally on the type of information provided by the car. Furthermore, there is a correlation between users’ technology commitment and risk-taking, on the one hand, and range stress, on the other. However, for the prediction of range stress, gender, experience with e-cars, and the question of whether cars are privately owned, or car-sharing is used, are more relevant.

The Development of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Thailand: Policies, Players, and Key Issues (2015–2020)

“…Despite the high growth rate of charging stations over the past decade, many internal combustion-engine vehicle users still believe that EV charging stations are not widely available in many regions, especially in developing countries. The limited number of charging stations together with the limited capacity of batteries in EVs has caused the issue of "range stress" or "range anxiety" [8] and impeded the mass adoption of EVs [28,29].…”

Decision Making Support for Local Authorities Choosing the Method for Siting of In-City EV Charging Stations

“…Bearing in mind the need to promote eco-friendly solutions, electromobility, including electric vehicles, is one of the trends which calls for further promotion [29]. One of the reasons why the development of electromobility is hampered appears to be the travelling population's anxiety about the limitations caused by the necessity of the vehicle recharging on-route, referred to as range anxiety (more broadly discussed in [30,31], inter alia). At the same time, it should be noted that vehicle recharging by means of municipal charging stations usually proceeds much faster than charging at home.…”

Choosing the Electric Car

“…However, such trials may be limited in their duration and by the driving range capabilities of the EV trialled at the time. In contrast, Philipsen et al (2019) compared EV range concerns in participants who had different extents of ICEV driving and EV driving experience. They found that those with two or more years of experience driving an EV were significantly less concerned about low battery levels and inadequate driving range than those with no EV experience.…”