Abstract:

The current penetration of electric four-wheelers in the Indian market remains relatively low. The study uses data from 1301 potential electric four-wheeler buyers in Bengaluru, India, to investigate the factors influencing their adoption of electric vehicles using discrete choice models. This study examines the effect of various vehicle attributes such as upfront purchase cost, operating and maintenance expense, driving range, and exhaust emissions, and service attributes such as charging duration and charging facilities, on the electric four-wheeler adoption intention. Furthermore, the study also analyses the influence of important supporting schemes such as free and reserved parking, access to priority lanes, and toll tax exemption for electric four-wheeler owners in addition to socio-demographic characteristics, and travel variables. This study also evaluates the impact of important latent factors such as technological enthusiasm, environmental enthusiasm, and social image which are related to the identity of an individual on the four-wheeler choice behaviour. The study reveals that purchase price, operating cost, and charging time negatively impact the intention to adopt electric four-wheelers, while driving range and charging facilities positively influence adoption. The study also identifies latent variables as significant determinants of adoption behavior, contributing to a deeper understanding of consumer preferences and intentions towards electric vehicles in India.