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An IBM study: Consumers' needs first, before electric vehicles go mainstream
The insights, from IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV), are derived from a new survey of 1,716 U.S. drivers(i) and interviews with 123 auto industry executives.(ii) The study indicates that, even in these early days, there is a potentially large market for EVs. Nineteen percent of drivers surveyed said that they were either “very likely” or “likely” to consider purchasing an electric-only vehicle when shopping for a new car. This is notable, given that 42 percent of drivers know only “a little” about EVs or have “only heard of them,” suggesting that automakers could increase the pool of potential buyers with sustained educational campaigns.
About Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
“Even under optimal circumstances, fully recharging an electric-only vehicle takes hours,” said Kal Gyimesi, IBV automotive lead and co-author of the IBV study. “So, it is crucially important that we build an infrastructure that can charge vehicles where their owners park them for extended periods of time – whether that is at home or at work, school, or the store.”
Perhaps a reflection of America’s consumer culture, 62 percent of drivers surveyed said they most often parked in a mall or store parking lot when not at home or work. That’s substantially higher than any other location – “on the street” was number two at 17 percent.
“When deciding where to put charging stations, retail hubs like malls and shopping centers are good locations,” Gyimesi said. “It’s easy to envision charging stations in these commercial locations coupled with an advertising and promotion-based business model for local stores – which will help make the economics more feasible.”
Consumers were asked what would the motivation to entice them to switch from using a vehicle that runs on gasoline, diesel or hybrid to an electric-only vehicle. Afterwards, the same questions were then posed to automobile industry executives, who were asked to rate the importance consumers placed on each choice. The chart below depicts their answers.
