China Consumer EV Choice Preference Study Brief (Feb. 2016/Clean Transportation Program)

China NEV market is set to grow rapidly for internalizing ambitious government goals, yet real market growth requires more than supply-side benefits. In order to ensure that demand expectations and preferences are being met, a better understanding of the average consumer is due. In particular, understanding consumer sensitivity to mileage, parking and brand are assumed to be the key for unlocking EV commercialization bottlenecks: at the policy design level, transport infrastructure development, auto-manufacturing strategy, and third parties involved in the complex NEV ecosystem. In an effort to include the general public in sustainable private vehicle decision-making, iCET have partnered with its former intern and current PhD student from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), John Helveston, for designing a user friendly yet scientifically robust survey. The survey was distributed utilizing iCET official and its stakeholders’ social media channels (primarily WeChat) and its analysis reaffirmed previous studies and yielded some new insights.