Electric vehicle as gateway to smart and sustainable energy use

The fast adoption of electric vehicles in the Amsterdam region will cause capacity problems on the grid. To prevent these problems people need to adopt various smart and sustainable energy behaviours. Research suggests that the reasons for adopting an electric vehicle are crucial for the adoption of such complementary sustainable behaviours. More specifically, consumers are more likely to adopt these complementary sustainable energy behaviours if they adopted an electric vehicle for environmental reasons rather than other reasons (e.g., financial), as this will strengthen their environmental self-identity. But what strategies can be employed to strengthen environmental self-identity when environmental reasons did not play a key role in the decision to adopt an electric vehicle? The main research questions in this project are: How to promote sustainable smart energy systems in the Amsterdam area by promoting complementary sustainable behaviours among people who adopted an electric vehicle for non-environmental reasons? How to develop profitable business models that facilitate sustainable use of electric vehicles? We will test two novel strategies to promote complementary sustainable energy behaviours among those who did not primarily adopt an electric vehicle for environmental reasons: via one’s organizational identity and via fee

Main project

This project is part of project "Spill-over of initial pro-environmental actions to other pro-environmental behaviours".

Researchers and partners

Behavioural and Social Sciences, Psychology

• dr. E. (Ellen) van der Werff, Social Psychology
• prof. dr. E.M. (Linda) Steg, Social Psychology

Partners outside of the University of Groningen

• Floor van Alkemade TU Eindhoven

Results

Successful grant proposals and other achievements

• NWO’s programme URSES+: application in the urban context.

University's focus areas

• Energy
• Sustainable Society