Understanding the User Needs in the Electric Mobility System: a Survey Study

Despite their potential for environmental impact reduction, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are still characterized by some peculiarities that make their acceptance by users a critical topic. Within the H2020 RESOLVE (Range of Electric SOlutions for L-category Vehicles) project, the specifications for the early concept design of a new L-category EV was based on a study of vehicle requirements. According to the European Regulation, a wide range of different vehicles are included in the “L–category”, each one being described in detail by the Reg.168/2013/EC “on the approval and market surveillance of two–or three–wheel vehicles and quadricycles. Starting from the lesson learned from literature, a survey was prepared in order to identify the needs and the attitudes of a range of potentail users, aiming at understanding their opinion and their propensity to use EVs. The Survey was proposed to open public using media such as social networks, website, project communication channels; relevant actors on the sector were contacted for the promotion of the initiative. The questionnaire included different sections related to person description, mobility needs definition, vehicle expectation and current knowledge on the EVs. As a first target, such approach was aimed to correlate the characteristics of the participants with the mobility needs they described. As a second target, their expectations in terms of performances and overall characteristcs were identified. Finally, the analysis of the perception of EVs confirmed that most users are correctly informed about EVs potential, but are still considering range as a limitation.