According to the political left, we should all drive electric cars, but far from everyone is convinced of their superiority. There are also major question marks regarding the technology and the resale value. Often, the environment is referred to in the marketing, but according to a new survey, the environment is far from the only reason for buying an electric car.

Robin Herbert describes himself as the sustainability researcher who became an economist. He recently defended his thesis at Umeå University, where he examined the reasons why Swedes buy electric cars and how the marketing of these vehicles can be improved – factors that he believes can ultimately contribute to reduced emissions from the transport sector.

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He conducted two surveys, one among individuals who privately own electric cars and one among municipal employees who drive electric cars for work. It turned out that those who drive electric cars for work are more likely to have a personal interest in electric cars.

Surprisingly, a large number of them are not particularly interested in environmental issues – around 25 percent in both groups. Among those who drive electric cars privately, factors such as interest in new technology and design ranked higher.

Focus on companies

Based on this, Robin Herbert concludes that electric car manufacturers in all countries should focus more on selling to companies and organizations where a single customer can mean large volumes. It may also mean that employees who drive the cars may be motivated to buy electric cars privately.

At the same time, he points out the importance of segmenting customer groups, as not everyone is engaged in environmental issues.

– It’s important to find other sales arguments around low operating costs, new technology, design, and the like, he told Universitetsläraren.

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