Factors Influencing Electric Vehicle Purchase Decisions: A Case Study of Songkhla Province
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Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between demographics and electric vehicle (EV) usage behavior, and to explore the factors influencing EV purchase decisions in Songkhla province, Thailand. The sample consisted of 120 EV users at charging stations (out of 150 distributed questionnaires). Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The results revealed that the majority of EV users were male (72.50 %), aged 30-50 (53.40 %), married (67.50 %), held a bachelor's degree (52.50 %), worked as business owners/entrepreneurs (42.50 %), and earned 15,000-25,000 THB monthly (43.30 %). Friends/close acquaintances (34.20 %) and family members (26.70 %) were the primary influencers in their EV purchase decisions, supporting the hypothesis that individuals with financial stability, higher education, and supportive social networks are more likely to adopt EVs. The main reason for purchasing an EV was convenience for commuting/daily use (45.80 %), with most users driving their EVs daily (43.30 %). Most EV owners already possessed a gasoline-powered vehicle, and the EV was not their first car (62.50 %), indicating that EVs are primarily used as a secondary vehicle for urban commuting and have not fully replaced internal combustion engine vehicles. Most EV users in this study did not express concerns about future EV running costs (75.80 %) and preferred charging at their convenience (55.00 %), suggesting adequate current charging infrastructure and effective charge management by users. Environmental awareness was the strongest factor influencing EV purchase decisions (mean = 4.46, standard deviation = 0.32), highlighting the importance of environmental consciousness among EV adopters. Furthermore, statistically significant correlations were found between age and purchase intention (p = 0.01), as well as between marital status and income with purchase intention (p = 0.05), confirming the influence of demographics and socioeconomic factors on EV adoption and usage.
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