The effects of global demand-side polices incentivizing plug-in electric vehicles purchases were examined in a recent report from Navigant Research — one that saw trends in historic sales and market conditions correlated with incentives-based support efforts, among other things.
“Despite significant battery cost cuts in the last 5 years, PEVs (plug-in electric vehicles) without subsidies are still more costly than competing fuel efficient hybrids and small gasoline-powered vehicles,” stated Scott Shepard, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “To realize further battery cost cuts that would make PEVs competitive without subsidies, PEV sales must continue to grow and government subsidies are vital to that growth.”
The new report, Electric Vehicle Incentives, examines the various demand-side policies that have been used to-date around the world, and their effects to-date. This includes incentives lowering the price of purchase, the provision of access to high-occupancy (HOV) lanes, simplified registration processes, access to charging stations, etc.
Here’s more from the press release for the report:
Opportunities for large gains in PEV market growth may be found in Western European countries with few incentives, according to the report. For example, Germany’s PEV penetration almost matches that of the United States, however incentives are relatively non-existent, which means a modest incentive improvement could create significant impacts for the market on a country and global level.
…The report also provides a comparative analysis of incentive programs by type and country based on historic PEV sales and current market conditions. Analysis focuses on the leading PEV markets: North America, Europe, and select Asia Pacific countries, including China, Japan, and South Korea.
Those interested in seeing an Executive Summary of the report can find that here.