Investigating the Influence of Consumer Behavior and Governmental Policy on the Diffusion of Electric Vehicles in Beijing, China

Abstract

The adoption behavior of electric vehicles (EVs) has received considerable attention. However, the whole process of purchase behavior has not been well understood. In response, this paper investigates the uptake of EVs in Beijing, China, with a focus on the whole process of purchasing an EV, as well as the relevant policies. Specifically, the classical Howard–Sheth theory is used to the analyze the whole process of EV purchasing, which is divided into four stages here, namely, “Ignored and Neglected”, “Proactive Attention”, “Comparison and Selection of Vehicles” and “Usage Evaluation”. Furthermore, several “what-if” scenarios are set up to quantify the influence of some typical EV-related polices, including the license plate lottery policy and no traffic constriction on battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The results suggest: (1) 63.4% of BEV owners have rigid travel demands with cars; (2) BEVs with a driving range of 500 km, 30-minutes charging time and price of RMB 15,000 are the first choices for the majority of people; (3) 64% of BEV owners are influenced by positive comments from the users around them in the adoption of EVs; (4) the no traffic constriction on BEVs tends to be more influential than the license plate lottery policy in terms of the numbers of applications for the vehicle purchase permits and BEV purchasers, as well as energy saving and vehicular emission reduction. These findings should be helpful for different EV-related stakeholders, such as the government, to shape their policies and promote the development of EVs.

Electric vehicles adoption: A systematic review (2016–2020)

“…However, some papers cite other attributes as more significant than costs, such as the location of the recharging stations (Smith et al, 2017; Stotts et al, 2021), availability of public (Broadbent et al, 2019) and home charging infrastructure, which have the most decisive influence to adopt an EV (Dong et al, 2020; Qian et al, 2019; Yang & Tan, 2019). Klein et al, (2020) similarly, reveal this fact, but highlight that this importance could decrease with the availability of faster charging times in public stations, which was also concluded by Danielis et al (2020).…”

“…Another essential matter is that diversification of the incentive types can help reach more people, as seen in China, improving technology dissemination. In almost all countries it was noticed the positive effect of monetary incentives in EV adoption, such as purchase subsidies (Barros & Pádua, 2019; Brase, 2019; Gómez Vilchez et al, 2020; Y. Huang & Qian, 2018; J. Li, Jiao, & Tang, 2020; W. Li, Long, Chen, Chen, et al, 2019; W. Li, Long, Chen, Yang, et al, 2019; Rudolph, 2016; Yang & Tan, 2019). In China, Lu et al (2020) concluded that the probability of a consumer choosing an EV could be reduced from around 45%–16% if the purchase subsidy was withdrawn.…”

“…Rebates on the EV upfront cost (Carley et al, 2019; Gong et al, 2020), tax exemption (Chang et al, 2016; Lee et al, 2016; N. Wang et al, 2017; Yang & Tan, 2019), and vehicle retirement program (Lee et al, 2016) were also reported as effective subsidies. The last one was explored only by Lee et al (2016) in Korea, and the authors concluded that combining policies with subsidies, as in the case of purchase and vehicle retirement incentives, is more effective than any one applied individually.…”

“…Huang & Qian, 2018;J. Li, Jiao, & Tang, 2020;Rudolph, 2016;Yang & Tan, 2019). In China, Lu et al (2020) concluded that the probability of a consumer choosing an EV could be reduced from around 45%-16% if the purchase subsidy was withdrawn.…”

Assessment of Greenhouse Gases and Pollutant Emissions in the Road Freight Transport Sector: A Case Study for São Paulo State, Brazil

“…From a sustainability perspective, economic feasibility is still one factor contributing to a final decision. Although fuel economy, fuel price, and operation and maintenance costs affect the viability of a technological change, the actual price of the vehicle is of significant importance for the investor [98,99]. From the literature review performed, a wide variety of purchase prices were found for each vehicle type.…”