Electric vehicle purchasing intentions: The concern over battery charge duration

Exploratory research has been conducted to assess the relative importance of the factors which are most influential in discouraging the purchase of an electric car. In addition, trade-offs among the following factors: range, maximum speed, recharging time, and cost/delay in the case of a battery rundown, are estimated. Results point to a gap in the growing extant literature with respect to the high relative importance of the problems associated with a possible dead battery and that potential buyers may find these problems unacceptable, as is the case with problems associated with limited range and/or speed. The differentiation of preferences is examined with respect to socio-economic and demographic variables. The percentage of participants preferring a specific electric car concept is also compared with its average probability of being purchased. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.