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The insights are derived from a survey of 1,716 U.S. drivers as well as interviews with 123 auto industry executives.
I wonder the results might differ in this regard (consumers versus auto industry execs) if similar surveys were carried out in any other country.
In Australia, for example, consumers are as highly opinionated about the vehicle they drive as anywhere else on the globe, and while there is no independent auto manufacturer here I think that Australian auto executives would come up with give strong local input to their headquarters in the USA, Europe or Asia. So far, just the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is available, and only more or less on a trial basis to fleet purchasers, so it's early days in terms of getting real operational and cost feedback.
The IBM study asked drivers what would motivate them to switch from a vehicle that currently runs on gasoline, diesel or hybrid to an electric-only vehicle.
The same question was posed to auto industry executives, who were asked to rate the importance they believe drivers place on each criteria. The percentage of drivers and executives who selected each criteria is reflected in the chart below,
These insights come from the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) which is a relatively new international group of some 60 consultants who conduct research and analysis in 17 industries and across 5 functional disciplines, the automotive industry being one of those. Wikipedia has a quite concise summary of the interesting IBV formation and history.
Indications are that, even in these early days, there is a potentially large market for electric vehicles (EVs). Nineteen percent of drivers surveyed said that they were either 'very likely' or 'likely' to consider purchasing an electric-only vehicle when shopping for a new car.
This is notable, given that 42 percent of drivers know only 'a little' about EVs or have 'only heard of them,' suggesting that automakers could increase the pool of potential buyers with sustained educational campaigns.
PLEASE READ ON ...
