Electric Vehicle Drivers Overcome Range Anxiety Prior to Their First Trip

Abstract

Consumers’ concerns over the drive range of an electric vehicle (EV) are widely acknowledged as the key reason for the non-acceptance of EVs. Yet to-date, the underpinnings of the phenomenon ‘range anxiety’ remain under researched and poorly understood. Pre-trial interview data were analysed from drivers in the United Kingdom BMW MINI E trial in order to explore the psychosocial factors drivers experience vis-à-vis range and to understand how drivers perceive and mentally construct range. Results revealed a four-stage process of cognition, whereby drivers’ preconceptions of the EV range precipitated anticipatory concerns regarding running out of charge, leading to one of four strategies that directly guided their intended behaviour, in a manner that enabled them to avoid experiencing range anxiety. The results are discussed in relation to challenging drivers’ pre-trial mind-sets, in order to change the way in which the range is perceived.

Keywords: Electric Vehicles, Range, Preconceptions, Intended Behaviour

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100684