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Barriers to adoption of electric vehicles in Texas

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Abstract

Sustainable mobility options such as electric vehicles (EVs) have the potential to improve the quality of life for Americans as well as those in other countries, as they can enhance the quality of the air we breathe, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel consumption, and the adverse impacts of global warming. Despite their many benefits, however, the demand for EVs remains low. Therefore, this study aims to identify the barriers that affect the widespread EV adoption in the United States. Seventeen barriers were identified from the literature, and a questionnaire survey was designed and distributed to potential consumers of EVs. The survey yielded 733 responses, and various statistical tests like cluster analysis and chi-squared tests were performed. The results revealed that the high purchase price of the vehicle, high battery replacement cost, and the lack of public infrastructures for charging them were the primary concerns. The results also revealed that middle-aged men with high education and income are more enthusiastic about adopting EVs. The results presented in this study indicate a range of developments that different stakeholders could implement. To surmount the economic barriers to EV adoption, policymakers should strengthen incentives countrywide, and automakers should introduce more affordable EVs to the market. To overcome the challenges associated with charging, it is necessary to make investments in rapid charging infrastructure along the primary toll routes.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

    Apurva Pamidimukkala

  2. Industrial Manufacturing and Systems Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

    Sharareh Kermanshachi & Jay Michael Rosenberger

  3. Auxiliary Services, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

    Greg Hladik

Authors
  1. Apurva Pamidimukkala
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  2. Sharareh Kermanshachi
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  3. Jay Michael Rosenberger
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  4. Greg Hladik
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Apurva Pamidimukkala, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Jay Michael Rosenberger, and Greg Hladik. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Apurva Pamidimukkala, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sharareh Kermanshachi.

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Pamidimukkala, A., Kermanshachi, S., Rosenberger, J.M. et al. Barriers to adoption of electric vehicles in Texas. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 16735–16745 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32337-7

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