In every debate and discussion about oil prices and climate change, Electric vehicles (EVs) seem to
come up as a potential solution inevitably. Companies like Tesla, Ford, Kia, BMW, and Tata have even
released their versions of electric vehicles, and states are passing on EV rebates to manufacturers to
spur EV adoption. Yet the percentage of electric vehicles in the US market is less than 4%, as per data
from evadoption.com.
What is preventing people from buying EVs?
As per a research conducted by the University of Geneva and published in the Nature Energy journal,
the reason seems to be cognitive bias. Cognitive bias results from people misinterpreting a nd
misreading information they are presented with. Such conclusions do not usually comply with
reasoning, logic, or even plausibility. This can mean that individuals do not adopt the behaviours
beneficial for society because they lack access to complete information.
The study found that the initiatives to promote electric vehicles to the masses have been related to
promoting energy transition or addressing financial or technology barriers.
The researchers asked 900 people the following questions:
- How often do they use their cars to go on trips?
- How much mileage do they think they would get from the EV battery?
They found that most people underestimate the range of EV batteries. They thought it was not
sufficient enough to have a trip. So here the question arises – why did the people think that EVs
couldn’t go the distance they required regularly?
Research – conclusion
The researchers concluded that the human mind thinks and remembers bigger things rather than
commonplace things. For example, people thinking of buying the EV would consider taking it for
long trips rather than grocery shopping. In such scenarios, they imagined the EV battery would not
work, so they dropped the idea of buying it even if it was a rare event.
How can it help us?
The researchers proposed a compatibility intervention to bring the buyers and sellers on the same
page. They suggested communication surrounding EVs be focused on price – how cheap it is to buy
an EV or how much one can save by buying an EV. The point is to clarify whether a change as
significant as buying an EV would suit the decision-makers.
When researchers altered the communication regarding EVs, buyers started showing interest in
buying the EV even for higher prices, considering it a one-time investment.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-cognitive-bias-2794963
https://grist.org/technology/the-mental-block-preventing-people-from-buying-electric-vehicles/
