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Tailored emails prompt electric vehicle owners to engage with tariff switching information

Author

Listed:
  • Moira Nicolson

    (UCL Energy Institute, University College London)

  • Gesche M. Huebner

    (UCL Energy Institute, University College London)

  • David Shipworth

    (UCL Energy Institute, University College London)

  • Simon Elam

    (UCL Energy Institute, University College London)

Abstract

The carbon intensity of the electricity used to charge an electric vehicle (EV) is dependent on when in the day charging occurs. However, persuading EV owners to adopt incentives to charge during off-peak hours is challenging. Here we show that governments could exploit the ‘window of opportunity’ created when people purchase their first EV to promote time-of-use tariffs. Email recipients (n = 7,038 EV owners) were more likely to click-through to an information webpage when the email emphasized specific reductions in home-charging costs versus general bill savings. However, the ‘window of opportunity’ for maximizing potential adoption is short; email open rates declined from over 70% immediately after purchase to 40% for recipients owning their EV for over three months. These results demonstrate the potential of prompts to change behaviours for which opt-out enrolment (where enrolment is automatic unless people explicitly opt out) would be unethical or less effective.

Suggested Citation

  • Moira Nicolson & Gesche M. Huebner & David Shipworth & Simon Elam, 2017. "Tailored emails prompt electric vehicle owners to engage with tariff switching information," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 2(6), pages 1-6, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:2:y:2017:i:6:d:10.1038_nenergy.2017.73
    DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2017.73
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yilmaz, Selin & Xu, Xiaojing & Cabrera, Daniel & Chanez, Cédric & Cuony, Peter & Patel, Martin K., 2020. "Analysis of demand-side response preferences regarding electricity tariffs and direct load control: Key findings from a Swiss survey," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    2. Omar Isaac Asensio & Camila Z. Apablaza & M. Cade Lawson & Sarah Elizabeth Walsh, 2022. "A field experiment on workplace norms and electric vehicle charging etiquette," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(1), pages 183-196, February.
    3. vom Scheidt, Frederik & Staudt, Philipp, 2024. "A data-driven Recommendation Tool for Sustainable Utility Service Bundles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PB).
    4. Nicolson, Moira L. & Fell, Michael J. & Huebner, Gesche M., 2018. "Consumer demand for time of use electricity tariffs: A systematized review of the empirical evidence," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 276-289.
    5. Gururaghav Raman & Bedoor AlShebli & Marcin Waniek & Talal Rahwan & Jimmy Chih-Hsien Peng, 2020. "How weaponizing disinformation can bring down a city’s power grid," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, August.
    6. Earl, James & Fell, Michael J., 2019. "Electric vehicle manufacturers' perceptions of the market potential for demand-side flexibility using electric vehicles in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 646-652.
    7. Inga Truskauskaitė-Kunevičienė & Goda Kaniušonytė & Mykolas Simas Poškus & Audra Balundė & Vaida Gabė & Lina Jovarauskaitė & Metin Özdemir, 2021. "Reducing Bottled Water Use among Adolescents: A Factorial Experimental Approach to Testing the Components of the “Aquatic” Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-20, June.

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