Main Article Content
Abstract
Electric mobility is currently being discussed as a more energy efficient and climate-friendly means of individual mobility. So far, there are relatively few electric vehicles on the roads. This means that insights into consumer perceptions and acceptance of electric vehicles are still limited. In contrast, vehicles running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) have been on the market for years and have some comparable characteristics with electric vehicles (EVs). Consequently, consumer perceptions of LPG and CNG vehicles may be similar to those of electric mobility and could be a valid analogy. This paper summarises the insights into consumer attitude of LPG, CNG and EV vehicles obtained from a literature review. These findings are supplemented by questionnaire data from a survey of 50 automobile customers. The questionnaires were conducted with vehicle users in Hyderabad city. The study showed that users came into contact with the technology in various ways and then started to collect more information, mainly through the internet and – preferably – by talking to other users, before deciding to switch to alternative fuels. The economic advantage played a crucial role in the decision-making process; however, environmental issues were also important.