Recent studies from IBM suggest that consumer requirements related to electric-vehicle (EV) recharging represent one of the major hurdles the EV marketplace must surmount in the near future.
An IBM survey of consumer attitudes and a study of auto industry executives found that electric-only vehicles will likely be ‘one of the next hot products,’ the company says. However, executives are skeptical about consumers' willingness to pay a premium for ‘green’ vehicles.
Moreover, IBM says the high price of home-based EV charging technology and installations could ‘pose an obstacle to EV adoption.’ IBM's research suggests that only 13 percent of drivers would consider spending more than $1,000 to retrofit their residences to support EV recharging.
Also, two-thirds of the consumers IBM surveyed expect a price discount on their electricity for charging at home overnight. This expectation could place increasing focus on utilities for time-based pricing to encourage home charging, or more public charging will be required if an electricity discount is not available, IBM says.
SOURCE: IBM
