Abstract:

This paper explores one option for encouraging conventional car consumers to engage in transport decarbonizing through the uptake of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) instead of conventional vehicles (CVs). Nevertheless, BEVs are still adopted far less than conventional cars, which motivates studying whether information on and experience with BEVs changes household car fleet compositions through the adoption of BEVs in a randomized control trial (RCT). A large random sample (N = 4,149) of CV drivers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a comprehensive information sheet on BEVs, the same information, plus a multiple day-long test drive with a BEV, and a control group receiving no intervention. For the first time, information and test driving were assessed side-by-side to measure the effects on actual BEV adoption. The results do not point towards substantial effects of these interventions after around 18 months. Larger samples or faster-growing BEV markets would be needed to find (possible) significant effects.