Touchpoints for electric mobility: Investigating the purchase process for promoting sales of electric vehicles in Switzerland

Electric vehicles (EV) are critical to fulfilling global climate goals. Despite their environmental and societal benefits, only 2.2% of cars sold worldwide in 2018 were electric. To understand the reasons for the low level of EV purchasing and help define measures for more effectively promoting their sales, the vehicle purchase process should be understood. For this purpose, we studied consumer behavior literature and conducted an online survey of 553 Swiss car owners. This resulted in the generation of a novel conceptual framework of the vehicle purchase process. This consists of five stages that are underlined by differentiated decision-making strategies. Second, the results show that car dealers play a critical role at all stages of the process, but remain a barrier to EV sales. Finally, the importance of a plurality of specific information sources and of the existence of charging options is significantly correlated to EV consideration. Based on these findings, touchpoints for electric mobility at relevant stages of the vehicle purchase process are identified, and policy interventions for more effectively promoting EV sales in Switzerland are suggested.