This ongoing research characterizes consumers that were the most highly influenced by the U.S. federal tax credit (FTC) for the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs). For this paper, survey responses from 3,452 recipients of California’s EV rebate (CVRP) who purchased a plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) from November 2016 to December 2018 were analyzed.
A majority of the consumers examined rated the FTC extremely important in making it possible to acquire a plug-in EV, and the percentage is increasing over time, rather than decreasing. Among the top factors found to increase the odds of being an “FTC Extreme” purchaser of a PHEV are placing importance on saving money on fuel, on the availability of charging, on carpool lane access, and on energy independence. A less dominant but significant factor was having a higher level of educational attainment. Age, race/ethnicity, and income were not statistically significant predictors of PHEV FTC Extreme Importance—nor were any household or regional characteristics, the importance of reducing environmental impacts, or the appeal of vehicle performance or new technology.
