The diffusion and acceptance of electric vehicles: a policy perspective comparing California and Texas

The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) soared in the last decade in response to several global and regional green initiatives and breakthroughs in technological and scientific innovations. However, their adoption in the world’s largest economy, the US, has been rather slow compared to other countries. Most importantly, there is a significant variance in their adoption rates between the two largest American states, California and Texas, which belong to the Democratic and Republican political camps, respectively. This comparative study applies diffusion of innovation theory (DOI) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) to analyse the remarkable difference in EV adoption between the two states from a policy perspective, as one of the first studies to do so. It follows a qualitative approach through thematic content analysis of relevant policy documents. The study highlights eight key findings to explain this variance and proposes an additional theoretical construct, ‘mandatory’, which emphasizes the policy influence on the adoption of new innovations. It puts forward several recommendations for legislators to improve EV adoption at governmental, organizational and societal levels.