Travel behaviour and e-mobility in Germany: Is the problem the driving range or costs or both?

Reluctance towards switching to electric cars can be observed in various countries despite the efforts of national programs to promote electric vehicles. This paper investigates, if electric cars are capable of meeting the requirements of daily mobility in Germany. The analysis is based on data from the Mobility Panel Survey Germany from 1995 to 2010 and the travel survey of the Stuttgart area from 2009/10, combining long-term trends with the specific verification by a region. The focus is on individuals, who exclusively drive a car and walk during a day, relying on the car as a primary means of transport. For this group the determinants of the decision using an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) versus a battery electric car (BEV) are analyzed focusing on driving range and energy costs. The analysis suggests that around 80% of all daily travel by car drivers could be done with currently available models of electric cars where only charging during the night would be sufficient in the majority of cases. This suggests that driving range of BEVs is actually not the restricting factor. On the other hand, the current cost structure of BEVs with high costs of investment and low costs of energy is not favorable for a large share of drivers, since their low annual mileage does not compensate the high investment costs by low operation costs. In the Stuttgart region, drivers from the suburbs would benefit most from savings due to lower energy costs while those living in the city would need other cost structures for switching to BEVs.