Presentation Title:
EV Disengagement: A Conceptual Framework for Post-Adoption Behaviors of EV Users
Track C: Decarbonization and Electrification Strategies
Session C2: Advancing Industrial Energy Innovation
Day 2 - March 12, 2026Â 3:00 pm
Speaker(s):
Abstract:
| Electric vehicles (EVs) are central to transportation decarbonization strategies, yet continued policy emphasis on adoption obscures a growing challenge: many EV owners gradually reduce their use or abandon their vehicles altogether. This paper presents a policy-oriented conceptualization of EV disengagement, defined as the post-adoption behaviors of under-utilization and discontinuance that diminish the environmental and system-level benefits of electrification. Through a comprehensive synthesis of behavioral and infrastructure-focused literature, the study identifies persistent user barriers, most notably the reliability, availability, and accessibility of public charging infrastructure, as the dominant drivers of disengagement. Additional pressures include increasing charging costs, limited home-charging access, and seasonal or situational declines in vehicle performance.
A three-stage disengagement pathway is proposed to describe how users move from initial enthusiasm to barrier encounter and ultimately to a decision point, where they either adapt their routines or disengage from EV use. A utilization continuum is also introduced to help agencies and policymakers distinguish between normal variation in usage and meaningful behavioral decline, offering a preliminary screening threshold based on national travel patterns. By formalizing disengagement as a measurable phenomenon, this work highlights a series of policy-relevant implications. Disengagement reduces expected emissions benefits, exacerbates disparities in EV access and satisfaction, and complicates forecasting models that assume continued or increasing EV utilization. Moreover, persistent reliability issues in public charging networks risk reinforcing negative perceptions that slow broader market transition. This framework positions EV disengagement as an essential metric for evaluating infrastructure performance, investment strategies, and user-centered interventions. It underscores the need for policies that prioritize reliability, equitable charging access, and ongoing user experience improvements to support long-term retention and realize the full environmental potential of transportation electrification. |