ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Transportation Energy Institute, formerly known as the Fuels Institute, has released a new report, "Consumer Survey: Driving Behavior and Alternative Vehicles," which seeks to better understand consumer sentiment by exploring how consumers use their vehicles today, what type of vehicle they might purchase next and how they view the growing market of EVs.
Policymakers throughout the world, along with global automakers and other key stakeholders, are putting plans and strategies in place to increase the market share of EVs, but the success of these efforts will ultimately depend on the decisions of consumers. This new report provides valuable insight into what that final decision-maker wants and needs.
“What consumers say they might be willing to consider in the future is a good indicator of what they think today and how the market can satisfy their needs and expectations, but how they will actually proceed in the future is highly uncertain,” said John Eichberger, executive director of the Transportation Energy Institute. "Past surveys indicating an expected pattern of behavior have not always been reliable predictors. That is why it is valuable to understand current consumer behavior and evaluate how well a new option might integrate into existing lifestyles.”
It is with this realization that the Transportation Energy Institute partnered with NACS to field some specific questions in its annual consumer survey. The results provide insight into the consumer mindset today relative to the following topics:
- Driving behavior
- Current vehicles
- Lifestyle attributes
- Affordability of transportation
- Future vehicle preferences
- Perceptions of electric vehicles
“The critical final decision-maker in the transition to a greater EV market share is and will always be the consumer,” said Eichberger.