Who is afraid of electric vehicles? An analysis of stated EV preferences in Switzerland

Arbeitspapier

We provide novel evidence for the size of key electric vehicle (EV) adoption barriers, purchase price and battery range, and the driver, operating cost, in the broadening EV market. We further demonstrate the heterogeneity of these across consumer segments, plus determine groups most resistant to EV adoption and the relationship with transport habits and car ownership. To this end we analyse the results of a choice experiment of 882 respondents across Switzerland, a market that has favourable adoption criteria, however realises a low EV market share. We find low and inelastic elasticities of price, range and driving cost, and high variation across levels of urbanisation, income and car ownership. We additionally see high technological preference inertia among car owners, and a larger probability of non-owners and public transport users to choose EVs. We finally propose targeting EV adoption policies to relatively sensitive consumer groups to maximise efficiency, and support alternative policies to overcome low overall elasticities and achieve greater effectiveness.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IRENE Working Paper ; No. 22-04

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: General‡ ; Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes ; Energy: General ; Energy: Government Policy ; Environmental Economics: General ; Environmental Economics: Government Policy ; Transportation Economics: General
• Subject: Transport ; Electric vehicles ; Adoption ; Choice experiment ; Stated preferences ; Environmental policy ; Behaviour

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Van Dijk, Jeremy ; Farsi, Mehdi
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Economic Research (IRENE)
• (where): Neuchâtel
• (when): 2022

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/265182
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET