Pathways to increasing diversity in electric vehicle adoption

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures show an increase in used electric vehicles sales in the UK, with battery EVs representing 1.4% of the used market in 2021. The remaining percentage is still made up by conventional vehicles, meaning that the uptake is still below what is required to achieve decarbonization of transport. Several studies showed that EVs are generally adopted by a limited type of users, with gender, age, income, education level all playing a role. For example, a recent UK survey showed that women adoption of EVs is half of mens’ (2% of respondents vs 4% respectively). Further demographic characteristics influence adoption of EVs. Further, costs of investment and battery replacements are key metrics. This project will look at how batteries can be repurposed after their useful life in EVs and what incentive schemes could be designed to help EV adoption by larger consumer groups.

The project will create long-term impact by creating an understanding of how EV adoption can be expanded to user groups from varied demographic backgrounds. We will analyse challenges and barriers in EV adoption and will address specifically two major aspects: (1) battery degradation and replacement cost anxiety; (2) used EV market accessibility for large-scale adoption. Combining the results from (1) and (2), the project will result in pathways for more inclusive EV adoption. This will, in turn, lead to large-scale adoption and EV penetrations that will help achieve transport decarbonization.

Further, creating new flexibility schemes in power grids by using EV batteries that become unfit for purpose but still have capacity, will have an impact on emissions from the power sector, reducing the need for generation during peak demand conditions, creating a circular supply by charging EVs.