What Role does Government Policy Play in the Development and Adoption of Electric Vehicles?

Abstract

Trends in transportation technology can help reduce the environmental issues of today. Greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles are approaching dangerous levels. Electric vehicles have the potential to play a major role in addressing environmental concerns. However, market penetration of electric vehicles remains a hurdle. The difficulty is the absence of appropriate policies to implement the system. In addition, relationships between major parties such as the government, producers, and potential consumers are strained. Cost reductions, tax exemptions, access to high-end lanes, and free parking for electric vehicles have the potential to substantially raise adoption rates, but state governments have remained uncommitted. Consequently, this study investigates the effectiveness of policies in boosting the adoption of electric vehicles on the U.S. market. Using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, the link between policies and stakeholders is analyzed to discover how they effect adoption rates. The study employs secondary exploratory methods to review and analyze findings from the current literature.

Introduction

Climate change and the condition of the ozone layer continue to shape global environmental discourse. Given the rate of depletion, environmental protection is at the forefront of global concerns (Silvia & Krause, 2016). In order to solve energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and transportation difficulties, the U.S. government encourages the transition from traditional diesel or gasoline-powered automobiles to electric vehicles (Silvia & Krause, 2016). However, obstacles remain, specifically President Donald Trump’s vow to overturn all Obama administration agreements (Aldy, 2017). Trump believes that the Paris Agreement is not legally binding, and as a result, his administration will withdraw from it (Aldy, 2017). Such methods obfuscate the benefits and place policy frameworks in a bind. Environmental professionals, politicians, electric vehicle (EV) engineers, government agencies, and…