Are Consumers Learning About Plug-In Vehicles? Comparing Awareness among Canadian New Car Buyers in 2013 and 2017

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are increasingly receiving attention for their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, consumer adoption of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV) remains limited globally. While several factors inhibit their adoption, here the authors focus on consumer awareness. Specifically, they analyze how Canadian new vehicle-buyers’ awareness, familiarity, and experience with PEVs have changed over a four-year period. The authors compare survey responses from two cross-sectional, representative samples of new vehicle-buyers collected in Canada in 2013 (n = 2,922) and in 2017 (n = 1,808). In the 2017 sample, the vast majority of respondents have “heard of” the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, or Tesla Model S. However, less than one-quarter of 2017 respondents report being familiar with PHEVs or BEVs in general, or with the Chevrolet Volt or Nissan Leaf in particular – similar to or below awareness levels in the 2013 sample. In terms of understanding, only about one-quarter of 2017 respondents know how the Nissan Leaf or the Chevrolet Volt is refueled, which is slightly lower than the 2013 proportion. Direct experience with PEVs is also low, with only a few percent having driven in or spoken with an owner of the Volt, Leaf or Model S – which also has changed little since 2013. In contrast, awareness of public chargers has more than doubled, with over 50% of 2017 respondents reporting have seen at least one charger. Overall, in contrast to expectations, PEV familiarity remains low and has generally not increased in recent years.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC80 Standing Committee on Alternative Transportation Fuels and Technologies.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Long, Zoe
  • Axsen, Jonn
  • Kormos, Christine
  • Goldberg, Suzanne
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Automobile industry; Automobile ownership; Consumers; Electric vehicles; Environmental impacts
• Geographic Terms: Canada
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01698097
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-00611
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM