TITLE:
Consumer Knowledge about Electric Buses in Underserved Communities in Huntsville, Alabama
AUTHORS:
Eyitayo Olaleye, Jacob Oluwoye, Deden Rukmana, Joyce Pressley, Aschalew Kassu
KEYWORDS:
Electric Vehicles, Consumer Knowledge, Descriptive Statistics, Under-served Communities, United States
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Power and Energy Engineering,
Vol.10 No.7,
July
26,
2022
ABSTRACT: The major offshoot of innovation of electric vehicles
(EVs) is sustainability. Given the prevailing challenges of carbon emissions from
automobiles and the consequent effects on climate change, the introduction of EVs
is timely to serve as an effective mechanism for reversing global warming. However,
knowledge of EVs is not well distributed among the general population. This study
is therefore aimed to analyze the familiarity of Americans with the basic features
of EVs. One hundred respondents were selected from two underserved communities in
Huntsville, Alabama, using a simple sampling technique. Nonetheless, only
71 residents returned the filled questionnaires. Data were analyzed using frequency
counts and descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that the respondents were generally
aware of EVs, but EVs are not yet common on their roads. The respondents also signaled
low preferences for EVs. The purchase price, charging stations, and limited supply are the
candid explanations for why EVs are not a priority in the respondents’ choice of
cars. To bolster peoples’ taste toward EVs, the study, therefore, concludes that
government authorities and city planners should popularize incentives among the
people in underserved communities.