ELECTRIC VEHICLE PURCHASING INTENTIONS - THE CONCERN OVER BATTERY CHARGE DURATION

Exploratory research has been conducted to assess the relative importa nce of the factors which are most influential in discouraging the purc hase of an electric car. In addition, trade-offs among the following f actors: range, maximum speed, recharging time, and cost/delay in the c ase of a battery rundown, are estimated. Results point to a gap in the growing extant literature with respect to the high relative importanc e of the problems associated with a possible dead battery and that pot ential buyers may find these problems unacceptable, as is the case wit h problems associated with limited range and/or speed. The differentia tion of preferences is examined with respect to socio-economic and dem ographic variables. The percentage of participants preferring a specif ic electric car concept is also compared with its average probability of being purchased. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.