Policy measures for electric vehicle adoption. A review of evidence from Norway and China

Abstract

Purpose To mitigate energy and environmental challenges, several countries worldwide are considering different policies to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs). Consequently, the necessity of studies focusing on the important and effective EV policy measures are develop-ing as policymakers are seeking to prioritize the policy measures based on their usefulness to achieve mass EV adoption. This study reviews evidence from China and Norway to identify factors that could substantially accelerate demand for EVs. Method We emphasize the cases of Norway and China, as these countries have already initiat-ed incentive-strong policies to accelerate EV's acceptance in their market and have succeeded considerably in improving their EV market share during the early adoption phases. The find-ings and discussion of this study is principally based on the reviewed literature of related poli-cy measures and two cases of successful EV uptake policies, Findings The evidence points at the significance of EV policy measures such as purchase-based and use-based incentives, availability of publicly accessible charging infrastructures, availability of EVs in the local market and collective communication measures. As findings, we have developed a general framework of essential EV policy measures. The reviewed litera-ture and cases suggest that publicly accessible charging infrastructures and financial incentives play crucial role in uptake. Conclusion Our study suggests that to accelerate EV penetration in the market, it is required the policymakers to pay more attention to the policy measures included in our general frame-work. However, the magnitude of the influences and interplay between these policy measures may differ between regions and on the context. Hence, policymakers should reconsider and restructure the EV polices after a certain level of EV-uptake is realized in the market.