The need for change : Influencing factors on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) adoption among generation Y within the European market.

Sammanfattning: Background:    Climate change has been becoming a major topic of interest, for research as well as for society. Transport caused emissions are constantly growing which forced the European Union to set the goal to decrease transport related emissions by 60% until 2050. A heavily discussed and promising tool seems to be being found in battery electric (BEV) vehicle adoption. However, BEV adoption seems to be underachieved which raises questions about potential influencing factors on BEV adoption. Additionally, latest research elaborated perception to be one of the key topics of interest for consumers adopting fully electric vehicles. Purpose:           The purpose of this thesis was to examine influencing factors affecting BEV adoption and the perception of those factors among generation Y consumers.  Method:            To attain the purpose, a qualitative research was conducted. After collecting secondary data to evaluate existing factors influencing consumer’s willingness to adopt BEVs, 16 participants accountable to generation Y have been interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Using a qualitative research approach valuable data and in-depth insights which are essential for markets such as the automotive industry. Conclusion:      The results show that there is a generally positive attitude towards BEV adoption among generation Y. However, there have been five influencing factors affecting consumer’s willingness to adopt BEVs. Analysis of the perception of each factor allowed the research team to get in-depth insights and to elaborate the importance of each factor and how the factors interrelate. Based on the gathered data relationships between influencing factors have been highlighted and based on TAM and TRI models a new model for further research has been developed.