Range Makes All the Difference? Weighing up Range, Charging Time and Fast-Charging Network Density as Key Drivers for the Acceptance of Battery Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles are currently seen as the most promising approach for the mobility sector to do it’s bit for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Although, there are still impediments to adoption, which may partly be overcome by a fast charging infrastructure that enables long-haul trips with battery electric vehicles (BEV). The presented work aims at weighing up user specific parameters of a charging infrastructure (range, charging time, network density, location) to understand public acceptance and reflect advice for planning a needs-based fast-charging network. Using an online questionnaire, 176 participants (users and non-users of BEVs) were addressed in a choice-based conjoint approach. Charging time emerged to be the most influential factor, followed by driving range and charging locations. Significant differences were found between BEV-users and non-users, with BEV-users putting more emphasis on the charging locations and less on the range.

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