Lessons Learned and Future Prospects

At the end of this journey around the leading PEV markets in America, Europe and Asia, guided by the scientists who have been studying them over the last several years, what have we learned? Firstly, that much evidence is already available on consumer adoption and use of PEVs which can be used to answer, at least in part, important questions that policymakers and other stakeholders are currently faced with. Secondly, that undoubtedly much work still remains to be done and that, as the markets continue to expand, it is essential that research efforts in this area continue. Technology, policy and consumer behaviour will continue to co-evolve. Some of the answers to current questions may therefore change, and new questions may arise. However the evidence available today can already be a good guide to policymakers and other stakeholders in their efforts to support a rapid and effective transition to electric mobility. The evidence presented in this book also points at new questions that are worth researching and at the methods and new data that would be needed to tackle them. This concluding chapter is organised around key questions currently being asked. For each question in turn, it briefly discusses the high-level messages that have emerged from the market-specific studies presented in the previous chapters and, by comparing and contrasting them, seeks to derive more general insights. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of future prospects for this field of research and their implications for policy-making.