Breaking Down the Barriers: Understanding Consumer Resistance to Zero-Emission Vehicle Purchases

Canada has established ambitious goals to reduce transportation emissions, targeting all new vehicle sales to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2040. In this study, ZEVs refer to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), consistent with Canadian policy definitions. Despite increasing policy support, a large segment of the population remains resistant to adopting ZEVs. While prior research has primarily focused on factors driving adoption, the reasons underlying non-adoption remain less explored. This study investigates ZEV resistance using data from the British Columbia ZEV Market Research Survey, comprising 3,850 respondents, of which 3,253 individuals who have never owned a ZEV are analyzed. A random parameter multinomial logit model is employed to classify resistance into five categories: cost, charging and range limitations, vehicle unavailability, environmental concerns, and other reasons, while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. The results reveal that resistance is highly segmented across population groups. Younger and lower-income individuals are primarily constrained by cost, whereas higher-income individuals are more likely to resist due to limited availability of preferred vehicle models. Older adults and residents of multi-unit dwellings are significantly more affected by charging and range-related barriers. These findings demonstrate that ZEV resistance is not uniform but driven by distinct constraints across population segments. The results provide targeted policy insights to support more effective and equitable strategies for accelerating ZEV adoption in Canada.