In the introduction of any innovation discontinuance can hamper market growth. No research has been conducted on understanding the extent this is occurring in the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market. One study (Hardman et al. 2016) estimated that 7-20% of PEV buyers are unlikely to purchase another PEV, and 36-77% would purchase a different PEV (e.g., from a BEV to a PHEV), IHS found “loyalty” among BEV buyers was only 38% (IHS 2017). The PH&EV Center will resurvey a subset of 27,000 PEV buyers who first purchased a PEV between 2010-2018. The survey will quantify how many PEV adopters are abandoning PEVs in favor of vehicles primarily fueled by gasoline, how many are substituting a BEV, FCV, or PHEV for a different zero emission vehicle, and will quantify how many PEV owners have purchased their 2nd or 3rd PEV. The questionnaire survey will explore why adopters have abandoned PEV ownership or changed to a different PEV (e.g., range limitations, change of personal circumstances, infrastructure issues, etc.). The project will make policy and managerial recommendations on how to prevent discontinuance and will suggest ways to get those that have abandoned PEVs to readopt them in the future.
