Factors associated with incentive-prioritizing electric vehicle buyers

The effectiveness of policies depends on proper crafting and accurate targeting. This relies on a thorough understanding of the characteristics of consumers and the priority they attach to such policies. However, in the EV research domain, it is currently unclear what groups of factors are associated with consumers who prioritized incentives when purchasing an EV. Using the latest California Vehicle Survey data of Hydrogen Fuel Cell EV (FCEV) and Plug-in EV (PEV) users, this study employed an advanced data mining tool to investigate the patterns of factors linked with people who considered incentives extremely important when purchasing an EV. Results showed that FCEV buyers who prioritized incentives mainly bought subcompact cars, spent an average of 4–8 min when refueling, and experienced FCEV refuel station availability concerns. Besides, users of PEVs who valued incentives during purchase did not recharge their cars during the day, utilized varying electricity rates at home, and found EVs more costly. Despite their concerns, consumers had favorable experiences with the EVs and were likely to recommend them. Males prioritizing state vehicle rebates were more inclined toward FCEVs, whereas females preferred PEVs. Drawing from the findings, the study outlines suggestions for stakeholders seeking to boost EV adoption.