Discontinuance Among California’s Electric Vehicle Buyers: Why Are Some Consumers Abandoning Electric Vehicles?

Hardman, Scott; Tal, Gil · 2021 · ROSA P / University of California, Berkeley. Institute of Transportation Studies

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Summary

This study investigates "discontinuance," the phenomenon where consumers abandon electric vehicles (EVs) after initially adopting them, a critical factor for the long-term market growth of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). The research addresses a gap in literature, as most prior studies focused on initial adoption rather than post-purchase retention. The authors posit that for PEVs to achieve 100% market share, early adopters must make repeat purchases; otherwise, market introduction could stall. The study specifically examines why California consumers discontinued ownership of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The methodology relies on data from five questionnaire surveys conducted between 2015 and 2019. The first four were cohort surveys recruiting households that purchased PEVs between 2012 and 2018, while the fifth was a panel survey sent to previous respondents to determine their subsequent vehicle choices. The analysis focuses on 1,856 respondents who had reached a decision point regarding their original PEV ownership. Using binary logistic regression models weighted to reflect market proportions, the researchers analyzed sociodemographic profiles, lifestyle factors, charging access, and satisfaction metrics to identify predictors of discontinuance. The results indicate that 20.96% of the sample discontinued PEV ownership, with rates of 21% for PHEV adopters and 19% for BEV adopters. Discontinuance was not correlated with vehicle range but was significantly linked to charging convenience and infrastructure. For BEVs, discontinuance was associated with dissatisfaction with charging convenience, lack of Level 2 home charging, owning other household vehicles with lower fuel efficiency, and being a later adopter. For PHEVs, discontinuance was linked to being female, living in multi-unit dwellings, dissatisfaction with charging convenience, purchase price, and running costs, as well as undertaking more long-distance trips. Despite discontinuing ownership, a majority of former owners remained likely to purchase a PEV in the future (65.2% for BEVs and 68.6% for PHEVs), suggesting discontinuance may not be permanent. The significance of these findings lies in the identification of persistent barriers to PEV retention. The study concludes that while consumers may overcome initial adoption barriers, issues related to refueling style and charging infrastructure resurface during ownership, leading to abandonment. This implies that market growth strategies must address charging convenience and infrastructure accessibility, not just vehicle range or purchase incentives, to ensure sustained adoption. As the demographic of PEV buyers shifts and incentives become less dominant, addressing these operational barriers becomes increasingly critical for meeting zero-emission vehicle targets.

Key finding

Discontinuance among California PEV adopters is significantly associated with dissatisfaction with charging convenience, lack of home Level 2 charging, owning lower-efficiency secondary vehicles, and being a later adopter, while vehicle range is not correlated with discontinuance.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 1856

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• acceptance adoption