In the current energy discussion, electric vehicles are also increasingly becoming the focus of public attention. But what about the knowledge of the Swiss people about this topic? What is clear is that the demand for plug-in vehicles continues to grow. But a study by the ZHAW School of Management and Law shows that despite this demand, there is still a great need for education on the subject of electromobility.
Electromobility is currently one of the central pacesetters in the automotive industry. All the relevant brands are working flat out to electrify their product ranges, and by the end of 2035 a large proportion of them want to dispense entirely with vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. On the customer side, electromobility is also steadily gaining momentum: At the end of October 2022, plug-in vehicles (electric vehicles and plug-in vehicles) already accounted for 24.4 percent of all new registrations.
One of the central challenges in the field of electromobility is the (still) insufficient know-how on the part of consumers. This is a challenge not only for importers and garages, but also for consumers who need to build up the necessary knowledge. In order to gain a clear picture from the consumer's perspective of their knowledge regarding electromobility and the relevant purchase decision criteria, the Institute of Information Systems at the School of Management and Law conducted a survey in Switzerland. Under the direction of Dr. Andreas Block in cooperation with AGVS, a total of 383 people were surveyed in writing in July 2022.
The respondents began by assessing their own level of knowledge of electromobility: 26.6 percent rated their knowledge as "high" or "rather high," another 39.7 percent as "average" and 33.7 percent as "rather low" or "low. It is interesting to note that men rated their knowledge significantly higher than women: 37.8 percent rate their knowledge as "high" or "rather high," while the corresponding figure for women is 16.2 percent.
The study also looks at what the decisive criteria are for buying an electric vehicle. Dr. Andreas Block says: "What is striking here is that the rational aspects tend to be weighted higher. The three most important decision criteria are the life expectancy of the battery, the service life of the vehicle and the vehicle quality. The emotional criteria such as, brand characteristics and prestige contribute far less than thought to the purchase decision of an electric vehicle.
Car manufacturers are called upon to anchor the actual price level of the vehicle range in the minds of consumers through targeted communication. In addition to the pure product information, clear example calculations on charging costs and times help. For comprehensive advice in the garage, the sales staff necessarily need the necessary knowledge themselves first. The AGVS can provide support in building up knowledge, e.g. by offering additional courses on electromobility for employees of garages or related service providers. "The state should also proactively provide more consistent information about the public charging infrastructure and its utilization rates through a wide variety of communication channels," concludes Dr. Andreas Block.
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