Faced with growing CO2-emissions, considerable efforts are being made to establish alternative means of transport such as electric vehicles. Aim of the present field study was the development and application of psychologically founded methods to assess the acceptance and the suitability of EVs for everyday usage. Main focus of the research was put on the question how users evaluate restrictions such as the limited range of EVs and how users learn to adapt to the new technology during the course of the study. The study was conducted in the Berlin metropolitan area and is split into two periods of six months, each with a different sample of users (N = 40). The participants were interviewed before getting the car, after three months and when returning their vehicle after six months. The research package involved in-depth interviews, thinking aloud, questionnaires, travel and charging diaries and two experimental tasks. By applying such an extensive methodology even slight changes in attitudes e.g., towards the environment and changes in driving behavior can be reliably detected. The subjective data were supplemented by objective data from onboard data loggers which continuously record variables such as speed, acceleration and trip length. When interviewed before the delivery of the car, participants report positive attitudes towards e-mobility, but considerable concerns about the limited range of the car (150 - 200 km). After three months almost all the participants report that the range of the EV is suitable for their daily routes. Additional results from the travel diaries indicate that only a minor percentage of trips cannot be made with an EV due to EV-specific restrictions such as range and low battery status. Regarding technical innovations such as regenerative braking, users report to have quickly adapted to those. The results indicate that electric vehicles are suitable for the application in metropolitan areas. Changes to the vehicle-driver-system such as regenerative braking are accepted but adaptation processes might occur. Barriers for overall acceptance appear to be psychologically founded and should be addressed accordingly. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting