The role of norms and collective efficacy for the importance of techno‐economic vehicle attributes in Germany

Berneiser, Jessica; Senkpiel, Charlotte; Steingrube, Annette; Gölz, Sebastian · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1002/cb.1919

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Summary

This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Germany, addressing the significant gap between government targets and actual registration rates. While previous research has predominantly focused on techno-economic barriers such as price and range, this paper examines how socio-psychological factors—specifically norms and collective efficacy—interact with vehicle attributes to shape consumer preferences. The authors aim to determine whether individual psychological characteristics affect not only the intention to purchase an EV but also the perceived importance of specific technology attributes in actual choice scenarios. The researchers conducted a Germany-wide, representative survey in 2018 involving 1,922 participants. The methodology combined a questionnaire assessing person-related factors with a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to determine vehicle attribute importance. The questionnaire measured variables including subjective norms, moral norms, collective efficacy, technological risk attitude, innovative self-concept, and perceived information. The DCE presented participants with hypothetical choices between conventional fuel vehicles, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) across different vehicle classes, varying attributes such as purchase price, range, fuel costs, refueling infrastructure, and CO2 emissions. Regression analyses and Hierarchical Bayes estimation were used to analyze the data. The results indicate that purchase price was the most critical vehicle attribute for all vehicle classes, followed by range, fuel costs, fuel type, refueling infrastructure, CO2 emissions, and CO2 tax. Regression analyses identified subjective norms, collective efficacy, technological risk attitude, and perceived information as the strongest predictors of EV purchase intention. Crucially, participants with high values in these socio-psychological factors weighted attribute importance differently than those with low values. Specifically, individuals with strong normative influence or collective efficacy de-emphasized disadvantages of EVs, such as range and price, while favoring EV attributes. Consequently, preference shares for battery-electric vehicles were more than twice as high for these groups compared to conventional vehicles. The study concludes that socio-psychological factors significantly relativize the impact of techno-economic barriers on EV adoption. By altering how consumers perceive the importance of negative attributes like cost and range, factors such as collective efficacy and social norms can drive preference for electric mobility. The authors argue that policy measures and discourse should move beyond financial incentives and technological improvements to actively address individual, societal, and cultural attitudes. Enhancing collective efficacy and normative support could be more effective strategies for accelerating the diffusion of electric vehicles than focusing solely on infrastructure or price reductions.

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