Psychological and behavioral factors affecting electric vehicle adoption and satisfaction: A comparative study of early adopters in China and Korea

Abstract

This study compares psychological and behavioral factors affecting EV (electric vehicle) adoption and satisfaction between China, the largest EV market in the world, and Korea, a fledgling EV market. Respective samples were collected from relatively mature EV users in four major cities in China (Chinese early majority) and from members of a fledgling EV community in Korea (Korean early adopters). The results show that environmental concern is an important determinant of EV purchase for the Chinese early majority, whereas the goal of minimizing operating costs is the most important determinant for the Korean early adopters. Usage satisfaction is high in both samples, with this factor being higher for the Korean early adopters than for the Chinese early majority. Usage satisfaction is also found to be related to the original purchase motive. Finally, EV owners in both countries cited "battery range" and "battery charging" as the two most important reasons for their dissatisfaction. We suggest that the government shift its emphasis from reducing acquisition cost to reducing vehicle operating cost and increasing convenience.