University of Sussex study finds women will drive transition to electric cars

According to findings of a study at The University of Sussex and Aarhus University in Denmark, it could be more effective to produce focused marketing of electric cars to women, in order to steer consumers away from non electric vehicles.

As stated by The University of Sussex, highly educated women are a market that aren’t being drawn upon, however they may be a potentially profitable and responsive market for electric vehicle sales. The study found that this is because they have greater environmental and fuel efficiency awareness than men.

Further findings from the study indicate that the recently retired are targeted for electric vehicle promotion, despite that as a group they aren’t as concerned in more environmentally friendly vehicles as other groups. Pensioners however have high car ownership, drive short distances, place less importance on car design and greater budgets for car purchases. These are all characteristics that could make them ideal electric vehicle owners.

Benjamin Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Sussex, Director of the Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand (CIED) and lead author on the study, said “The decisions people make about the forms of transport they use or purchase can transcend purely economic self-interest and logic. They can be shaped by a diverse range of factors ranging from gender, education, occupation, age and family size. The sooner electric vehicle manufacturers and policymakers understand how these factors influence the decisions people make about their transport choices, the quicker people will switch to more sustainable modes of transport and hopefully long before legislation leaves them with no petrol or diesel alternative come 2040.”

Read the full article here.