Frost and Sullivan recently held a webinar on a survey they held about EV early adoption. The webinar was called “Automakers Braving to Launch Electric Vehicles to Skeptic U.S. Consumers -Who will be the Early Adopters, and will their Needs and Expectations be Met?” The presentation covers the survey and concludes with these points:
• 2015 demand for EVs based on performance criteria ~2.3M
• Demand will drop further when cost criteria is applied. Hence EV will be a small niche in the near-term.
• Range anxiety is a serious impediment to the adoption of EVs. E-REVS and PHEVs will be overwhelmingly favored.
• Roadside Assistance and Telematics and LBS services are “a must have” feature for EVs. Must be provided standard.
• Development of a public charging infrastructure is critical -mitigates range anxiety, enable optimization of driving range, and reduce vehicle cost.
• Business models need to be reinvented – should maximizes revenue streams and provides value added services to reduce the cost burden on electric vehicle owners.
• A vehicle with a driving range of 100mi is unlikely to be seen by most Americans as their primary vehicle. A range of 150mi is more likely to merit that consideration.
• Vehicle manufacturers could consider offering BEV with a package of some free rental car days to position a BEV as a primary vehicle.
