Title: Factors and barriers affecting the purchase of electric vehicles in the Italian market

Authors: Pasquale Russo Spena; Matteo Rossini; Dominik Tobias Matt; Filippo Emanuele Ciarapica

Addresses: Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy ' Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy ' Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy ' Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Science, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy

Abstract: Market orientation is an essential requirement to implement a total quality management approach in a production system, and in turn to improve the quality of products. This is especially true for the automotive industry where customers' preferences change relatively quickly over time, and purchase trends are recently affected by the introduction of electric vehicles. In this paper, an electric vehicle market analysis concerning with the study of automotive customers' needs is examined. The main economic, qualitative/technical, and environmental/practical factors, incentives, and barriers that influence Italian customers' motivations, when purchasing a vehicle are evaluated after a survey. This study also attempts to ascertain which factors could encourage the adoption of electric vehicles. The majority of respondents agreed that purchase price, tax and monetary incentives, fuel price, fuel consumption, reliability, safety in case of collision, and greenhouse gas emissions are the main factors considered before purchasing a new vehicle.

Keywords: electric vehicles; vehicle demand; total quality management; TQM; sustainable development; Italy; road transport; confirmatory factor analysis; CFA; vehicle purchases; market orientation; EV market analysis; automotive customers; customer needs; economic factors; technical factors; environmental factors; barriers; customer motivation; purchase price; tax incentives; monetary incentives; fuel price; fuel consumption; vehicle reliability; vehicle safety; greenhouse gases; GHG emissions; vehicle emissions; automobile industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2016.076708

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2016 Vol.18 No.2/3, pp.210 - 237

Published online: 23 May 2016 *

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