Methods to Identify User Needs and Decision Mechanisms for the Adoption of Electric Vehicles

The knowledge on user acceptance for electric vehicles is of high relevance for several stakeholders in this new vehicle market. This study provides an overview of applied methods in adoption research in the field of electric vehicles. These methods comprehend (1) experimental studies and lab-experiments, (2) interviews and focus groups, (3) surveys, (4) analyses of sales documentations and (5) social media analytics. We classify the data collection methods by two dimensions – (A) sample size and (B) degree of anonymity. We provide case study results for selected methods, identify the advantages, and show how new methods may complement the traditional approaches in future research.