IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i24p6967-d294994.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Ye Yang

    (School of Economic and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Zhongfu Tan

    (School of Economic and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Ye Yang & Zhongfu Tan, 2019. "Investigating the Influence of Consumer Behavior and Governmental Policy on the Diffusion of Electric Vehicles in Beijing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-20, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:24:p:6967-:d:294994
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/24/6967/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/24/6967/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hidrue, Michael K. & Parsons, George R. & Kempton, Willett & Gardner, Meryl P., 2011. "Willingness to pay for electric vehicles and their attributes," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 686-705, September.
    2. Zhang, Xian & Wang, Ke & Hao, Yu & Fan, Jing-Li & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2013. "The impact of government policy on preference for NEVs: The evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 382-393.
    3. Egbue, Ona & Long, Suzanna, 2012. "Barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles: An analysis of consumer attitudes and perceptions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 717-729.
    4. Abotalebi, Elnaz & Scott, Darren M. & Ferguson, Mark R., 2019. "Why is electric vehicle uptake low in Atlantic Canada? A comparison to leading adoption provinces," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 289-298.
    5. Steinhilber, Simone & Wells, Peter & Thankappan, Samarthia, 2013. "Socio-technical inertia: Understanding the barriers to electric vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 531-539.
    6. Makena Coffman & Paul Bernstein & Sherilyn Wee, 2017. "Electric vehicles revisited: a review of factors that affect adoption," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(1), pages 79-93, January.
    7. Yongyou Nie & Enci Wang & Qinxin Guo & Junyi Shen, 2018. "Examining Shanghai Consumer Preferences for Electric Vehicles and Their Attributes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Chengxiang Zhuge & Chunfu Shao & Xia Li, 2019. "Empirical Analysis of Parking Behaviour of Conventional and Electric Vehicles for Parking Modelling: A Case Study of Beijing, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-21, August.
    9. Fanchao Liao & Eric Molin & Bert van Wee, 2017. "Consumer preferences for electric vehicles: a literature review," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 252-275, May.
    10. Chengxiang Zhuge & Chunfu Shao & Xia Li, 2019. "A Comparative Study of En Route Refuelling Behaviours of Conventional and Electric Vehicles in Beijing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-21, July.
    11. Liu, Yan & Cirillo, Cinzia, 2018. "A generalized dynamic discrete choice model for green vehicle adoption," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 114(PB), pages 288-302.
    12. Zhang, Yong & Yu, Yifeng & Zou, Bai, 2011. "Analyzing public awareness and acceptance of alternative fuel vehicles in China: The case of EV," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 7015-7024.
    13. Fa-Ping Wang & Jia-Li Yu & Peng Yang & Li-Xin Miao & Bin Ye, 2017. "Analysis of the Barriers to Widespread Adoption of Electric Vehicles in Shenzhen China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-20, March.
    14. Plötz, Patrick & Schneider, Uta & Globisch, Joachim & Dütschke, Elisabeth, 2014. "Who will buy electric vehicles? Identifying early adopters in Germany," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 96-109.
    15. Ivan K. W. Lai & Yide Liu & Xinbo Sun & Hao Zhang & Weiwei Xu, 2015. "Factors Influencing the Behavioural Intention towards Full Electric Vehicles: An Empirical Study in Macau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-22, September.
    16. Hackbarth, André & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "Willingness-to-pay for alternative fuel vehicle characteristics: A stated choice study for Germany," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 89-111.
    17. Kwon, Yeongmin & Son, Sanghoon & Jang, Kitae, 2018. "Evaluation of incentive policies for electric vehicles: An experimental study on Jeju Island," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 404-412.
    18. Wang, Shanyong & Li, Jun & Zhao, Dingtao, 2017. "The impact of policy measures on consumer intention to adopt electric vehicles: Evidence from China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 14-26.
    19. Li, Wenbo & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Geng, Jichao, 2017. "A review of factors influencing consumer intentions to adopt battery electric vehicles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 318-328.
    20. Matthews, Lindsay & Lynes, Jennifer & Riemer, Manuel & Del Matto, Tania & Cloet, Nicholas, 2017. "Do we have a car for you? Encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles at point of sale," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 79-88.
    21. Helveston, John Paul & Liu, Yimin & Feit, Elea McDonnell & Fuchs, Erica & Klampfl, Erica & Michalek, Jeremy J., 2015. "Will subsidies drive electric vehicle adoption? Measuring consumer preferences in the U.S. and China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 96-112.
    22. Cherchi, Elisabetta, 2017. "A stated choice experiment to measure the effect of informational and normative conformity in the preference for electric vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 88-104.
    23. Qianwen Li & Ruyin Long & Hong Chen & Jichao Geng, 2017. "Low Purchase Willingness for Battery Electric Vehicles: Analysis and Simulation Based on the Fault Tree Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-20, May.
    24. Zhang, Xingping & Liang, Yanni & Yu, Enhai & Rao, Rao & Xie, Jian, 2017. "Review of electric vehicle policies in China: Content summary and effect analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 698-714.
    25. Lopes, Mafalda Mendes & Moura, Filipe & Martinez, Luis M., 2014. "A rule-based approach for determining the plausible universe of electric vehicle buyers in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 22-36.
    26. J. Doyne Farmer & Duncan Foley, 2009. "The economy needs agent-based modelling," Nature, Nature, vol. 460(7256), pages 685-686, August.
    27. Eppstein, Margaret J. & Grover, David K. & Marshall, Jeffrey S. & Rizzo, Donna M., 2011. "An agent-based model to study market penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3789-3802, June.
    28. Higgins, Christopher D. & Mohamed, Moataz & Ferguson, Mark R., 2017. "Size matters: How vehicle body type affects consumer preferences for electric vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 182-201.
    29. Shafiei, Ehsan & Davidsdottir, Brynhildur & Fazeli, Reza & Leaver, Jonathan & Stefansson, Hlynur & Asgeirsson, Eyjolfur Ingi, 2018. "Macroeconomic effects of fiscal incentives to promote electric vehicles in Iceland: Implications for government and consumer costs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 431-443.
    30. Chengxiang Zhuge & Chunfu Shao, 2018. "Agent-Based Modelling of Locating Public Transport Facilities for Conventional and Electric Vehicles," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 875-908, December.
    31. Franke, Thomas & Krems, Josef F., 2013. "What drives range preferences in electric vehicle users?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 56-62.
    32. Qinliang Tan & Minnan Wang & Yanming Deng & Haiping Yang & Rao Rao & Xingping Zhang, 2014. "The Cultivation of Electric Vehicles Market in China: Dilemma and Solution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(8), pages 1-19, August.
    33. Kim, Moon-Koo & Oh, Jeesun & Park, Jong-Hyun & Joo, Changlim, 2018. "Perceived value and adoption intention for electric vehicles in Korea: Moderating effects of environmental traits and government supports," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 799-809.
    34. She, Zhen-Yu & Qing Sun, & Ma, Jia-Jun & Xie, Bai-Chen, 2017. "What are the barriers to widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles? A survey of public perception in Tianjin, China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 29-40.
    35. Axsen, Jonn & Orlebar, Caroline & Skippon, Stephen, 2013. "Social influence and consumer preference formation for pro-environmental technology: The case of a U.K. workplace electric-vehicle study," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 96-107.
    36. Fabio Carlucci & Andrea Cirà & Giuseppe Lanza, 2018. "Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Some Theoretical Considerations on Consumption Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-11, April.
    37. Adedamola Adepetu & Srinivasan Keshav, 2017. "The relative importance of price and driving range on electric vehicle adoption: Los Angeles case study," Transportation, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 353-373, March.
    38. Junquera, Beatriz & Moreno, Blanca & Álvarez, Roberto, 2016. "Analyzing consumer attitudes towards electric vehicle purchasing intentions in Spain: Technological limitations and vehicle confidence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 6-14.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gulnaz Ivanova & António Carrizo Moreira, 2023. "Antecedents of Electric Vehicle Purchase Intention from the Consumer’s Perspective: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-27, February.
    2. Nguyen Ba Hung & Ocktaeck Lim, 2020. "Effects of Design Parameters on Operating Characteristics of an Electric Assisted Bicycle Using Fuel Cell," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-12, June.
    3. Secinaro, Silvana & Calandra, Davide & Lanzalonga, Federico & Ferraris, Alberto, 2022. "Electric vehicles’ consumer behaviours: Mapping the field and providing a research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 399-416.
    4. Pedro Gerber Machado & Ana Carolina Rodrigues Teixeira & Flavia Mendes de Almeida Collaço & Adam Hawkes & Dominique Mouette, 2020. "Assessment of Greenhouse Gases and Pollutant Emissions in the Road Freight Transport Sector: A Case Study for São Paulo State, Brazil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-26, October.
    5. Yahong Jiang & Qunqi Wu & Min Li & Yulei Gu & Jun Yang, 2023. "What Is Affecting the Popularity of New Energy Vehicles? A Systematic Review Based on the Public Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-29, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Elena Higueras-Castillo & Sebastian Molinillo & J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak & Francisco Liébana-Cabanillas, 2020. "Potential Early Adopters of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in Spain—Towards a Customer Profile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, May.
    2. Eunsung Kim & Eunnyeong Heo, 2019. "Key Drivers behind the Adoption of Electric Vehicle in Korea: An Analysis of the Revealed Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Peng, Ruoqing & Tang, Justin Hayse Chiwing G. & Yang, Xiong & Meng, Meng & Zhang, Jie & Zhuge, Chengxiang, 2024. "Investigating the factors influencing the electric vehicle market share: A comparative study of the European Union and United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 355(C).
    4. Mandys, F., 2021. "Electric vehicles and consumer choices," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    5. Li, Wenbo & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Geng, Jichao, 2017. "A review of factors influencing consumer intentions to adopt battery electric vehicles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 318-328.
    6. Hackbarth, André & Madlener, Reinhard, 2018. "Combined Vehicle Type and Fuel Type Choices of Private Households: An Empirical Analysis for Germany," FCN Working Papers 17/2018, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN), revised May 2019.
    7. Moon-Koo Kim & Jong-Hyun Park & Kyungsoo Kim & Byoungkyu Park, 2020. "Identifying factors influencing the slow market diffusion of electric vehicles in Korea," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 663-688, April.
    8. Higueras-Castillo, Elena & Kalinic, Zoran & Marinkovic, Veljko & Liébana-Cabanillas, Francisco J., 2020. "A mixed analysis of perceptions of electric and hybrid vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    9. Kim, Moon-Koo & Oh, Jeesun & Park, Jong-Hyun & Joo, Changlim, 2018. "Perceived value and adoption intention for electric vehicles in Korea: Moderating effects of environmental traits and government supports," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 799-809.
    10. Xiong, Siqin & Yuan, Yi & Yao, Jia & Bai, Bo & Ma, Xiaoming, 2023. "Exploring consumer preferences for electric vehicles based on the random coefficient logit model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PA).
    11. Felix Hinnüber & Marek Szarucki & Katarzyna Szopik-Depczyńska, 2019. "The Effects of a First-Time Experience on the Evaluation of Battery Electric Vehicles by Potential Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-25, December.
    12. Patyal, Vishal Singh & Kumar, Ravi & Kushwah, Shiksha, 2021. "Modeling barriers to the adoption of electric vehicles: An Indian perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    13. Mustafa Hamurcu & Tamer Eren, 2023. "Multicriteria decision making and goal programming for determination of electric automobile aimed at sustainable green environment: a case study," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 211-231, June.
    14. Meilinda Fitriani Nur Maghfiroh & Andante Hadi Pandyaswargo & Hiroshi Onoda, 2021. "Current Readiness Status of Electric Vehicles in Indonesia: Multistakeholder Perceptions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-25, November.
    15. Marko Emanović & Martina Jakara & Danijela Barić, 2022. "Challenges and Opportunities for Future BEVs Adoption in Croatia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, July.
    16. Gabriela D. Oliveira & Luis C. Dias, 2019. "Influence of Demographics on Consumer Preferences for Alternative Fuel Vehicles: A Review of Choice Modelling Studies and a Study in Portugal," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-33, January.
    17. Li, Wenbo & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Yang, Tong & Geng, Jichao & Yang, Muyi, 2018. "Effects of personal carbon trading on the decision to adopt battery electric vehicles: Analysis based on a choice experiment in Jiangsu, China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 478-488.
    18. Udit Chawla & Rajesh Mohnot & Varsha Mishra & Harsh Vikram Singh & Ayush Kumar Singh, 2023. "Factors Influencing Customer Preference and Adoption of Electric Vehicles in India: A Journey towards More Sustainable Transportation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    19. Xiaoxue Zheng & Haiyan Lin & Zhi Liu & Dengfeng Li & Carlos Llopis-Albert & Shouzhen Zeng, 2018. "Manufacturing Decisions and Government Subsidies for Electric Vehicles in China: A Maximal Social Welfare Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-28, March.
    20. Jaiswal, Deepak & Kaushal, Vikrant & Kant, Rishi & Kumar Singh, Pankaj, 2021. "Consumer adoption intention for electric vehicles: Insights and evidence from Indian sustainable transportation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:24:p:6967-:d:294994. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.