Comparative analysis of public and expert perceptions of electrified vehicles in the European Union

The transition to electric vehicles is widely regarded as an effective measure to combat climate change, and its success will utterly depend on the willingness of consumers to shift to this technology, making it essential to examine public perception when designing supportive policies. Nonetheless, public perception can be biased by multiple factors such as fake news, prejudices and misgivings, leading to a significant divergence from the views of experts in the transportation field. This paper examines the differences between the views of these two groups on electric vehicles, with a specific focus on the current perception in the European Union. The research adopts a two-fold approach, starting with an empirical driving study, followed by a series of focus group discussions with transportation experts and an analysis of Twitter (formally X) data. The data for this study was collected over five years, from June 2019 to June 2024. The findings indicate that both groups generally maintain a neutral stance, with neutrality appearing in 50% of their responses. However, experts tend to prefer battery electric vehicles, positively influenced by their driving experiences. In 40% of their comments, they report favourable sentiments toward these vehicles. Conversely, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are favoured by the general public, with 35% of tweets indicating a positive attitude, as they are viewed as a more established technology. Differing perspectives on vehicle charging infrastructure are evident: specialists regard it as a hindrance to widespread adoption, with 30% expressing negative views, whereas the general population appears less concerned and more focused on the feelings and the experience of driving.