California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Owner Survey

What Drives California’s Plug-in Electric Vehicle Owners?
California Plug-in Electric Vehicle Driver Survey Results
Survey population
Nissan
Leaf
Rebate recipients who have driven their vehicle
for six months or longer as of March 1, 2013
Chevrolet
Volt
Toyota Prius
Plug-in Hybrid
8,756
Total respondents
3,881
Top three vehicle types driven by respondents
4%
California’s Plug-in
Electric Vehicles
57%
22%
As of October 2013, Californians have
purchased or leased more than 45,000
plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). The Clean
Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) has issued
more than 37,226 rebates to California
drivers, including 19,648 for battery electric
vehicles (BEVs) and 17,227 for plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles (PHEVs).
Nissan Leaf
Chevrolet Volt
Toyota Prius
Plug-in Hybrid
17%
Other
Distribution of
survey respondents
by county
0%
3% – 10%
0 – 1%
10% – 15%
1 % – 3%
15% – 21%
Motivations for PEV Purchase
Top three motivators for purchase
Importance of CVRP rebate
57
%
60%
2%
8%
50%
38%
40%
34%
30%
20 %
16
Extremely important
27 %
26%
20%
31%
21%
18 %
%
Very important
25%
16
%
Moderately important
18 %
Slightly important
Not at all important
9%
10%
0%
34%
Nissan Leaf
Chevrolet Volt
Environment
Saving money
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
HOV lane access
Other
84
%
59
%
are displaying an
HOV sticker
on their
vehicle
said having HOV lane access
was extremely or very important
in their decision to purchase a PEV
Desired Electric Range
78 miles
Nissan
Leaf
200 miles
38 miles
Chevrolet
Volt
Comparison of median desired
all-electric range vs. actual
electric range by vehicle type
100 miles
Actual electric range
12 miles
Desired electric range
Toyota Prius
Plug-in Hybrid
50 miles
Vehicle Charging
Respondents who have installed
a Level 2 charger at home
Yes
64%
No
88
Of those with an installed
Level 2 charger at home
64
%
%
Nissan Leaf
46
%
36%
received a free
or subsidized
charger
Chevrolet Volt
11
%
46
Toyota Prius
Plug-in Hybrid
%
of respondents had access
to workplace charging
9% 11%
%
Of those who had
workplace charging
71
electricity
electricity
74
Importance of subsidy for decision
to install a Level 2 charger
0
had
free access
29%
20
Not at all
influential
% expressed some level
40
31%
60
Slightly
influential
80
Somewhat
influential
100
Very
influential
Extremely
influential
Satisfaction with public charging infrastructure
(Nissan Leaf drivers only)
of dissatisfaction with
public charging infrastructure
3%
20%
100%
20%
Not at all satisfied
19%
17 %
59%
54%
16%
22%
27%
August 2012
May 2013
27%
80%
Somewhat unsatisfied
26%
Somewhat satisfied
60%
Extremely satisfied
51%
55%
40%
Overall satisfaction with
public charging infrastructure
among Nissan Leaf drivers
has been steadily increasing
20%
0%
October 2013
Household Demographics
Age and gender of PEV respondents
Age
Females
2% 10%
55 – 64
5% 20%
45 – 54
8 26
35 – 44
5% 18%
%
1% 5%
18 – 24
<1% <1%
5%
93
0%
21%
35%
% reside in households
%
25 – 34
10%
7%
Males
65 and over
37%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
of two or more people*
*5% did not provide info on
number of occupants
Household income
of PEV respondents
30%
PEV drivers
Conventional
vehicle buyers*
Educational level* of respondents
*2% of respondents
did not provide education info
*
1% 6%
Household income based on California
new personal car registrations Jan–Nov 2012
(Source: Polk Inc.)
3%
50%
High school or less
Some college, no degree
30%
33%
Associates degree
Bachelor’s degree
%
20% 20
10%
Graduate degree
2
%
57%
88
Unk
now
$49
,999
n
93
%
%
reside in a single-family
detached home
15%
18% 14%
20%
$50
or le
,000
ss
$10
$15
to $
9
0,00
9,99
0 to
9
0,00
$14
0 or
9,99
9
Percentage of
respondents who
own their home
32
%
7% reside in a
single-family attached home
(townhome, duplex, triplex, etc.)
have photovoltaic
systems installed
on their home
16
%
4% reside in an
apartment/condominium
plan to
install solar
1% reside in other dwellings
Source: Survey conducted May 2013 by the California Center for Sustainable Energy
mor
e
energycenter.org/pevsurvey