Are American electric vehicle owners quitting?

We investigate the proportion of U.S. plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) owners who discontinued PEV ownership by disposing their PEV and buying a non-PEV on their next purchase, termed PEV discontinuance. Analyzing 8457 new car buyers’ who disposed of their PEVs, we find ∼35 % discontinuance. Single-car moderate-income households owning a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) are likelier to discontinue than multi-car high-income households owning a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Former PEV owners, when purchasing a new vehicle, are unwilling to compromise on key issues such as electric driving range (minimum 330 miles for BEVs), charging station locations, recharge times, home charging unavailability, higher purchase prices, battery replacement costs, and lower resale values, which are also concerns shared by households that continue to own PEVs. These insights, drawn from PEV owner experiences rather than perceptions, can guide PEV policy designs and targeted leasing & brand loyalty programs to reduce discontinuance.