The Electric Vehicle in Denmark

Abstract

The transport sector remains one of the primary contributors to CO₂ emissions in Denmark, positioning the large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EV’s) as a central strategy in achieving national climate goals. While political initiatives, tax incentives, and improvements in charging infrastructure have supported the transition, consumer adoption of EV’s continues to be characterized by hesitation and fragmentation. This thesis investigates which psychological, social, and practical factors influence Danish consumers’ intention to purchase EV’s, and how these insights can inform more effective strategic actions by industry and policymakers. Anchored in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the study applies a mixed-methods design that integrates a quantitative survey (n = 78) with 14 semi-structured qualitative interviews. The survey identifies significant predictors of purchase intention, including attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (PBC), while also isolating influential underlying dimensions through factor analysis and multiple regression. The qualitative analysis builds on these results, offering rich insight into consumer motivations, reservations, and value-based reasoning. Based on a quantitative cluster analysis, three distinct consumer segments emerge: Skeptics, Hesitants, and EV-Ready, which are further explored through open coding, while axial and selective coding identify patterns across segments. Findings indicate that objective barriers such as price and range anxiety are tightly interwoven with subjective considerations, including environmental awareness, social influence, and perceived control. The thesis proposes a theoretical extension of TPB through the inclusion of diffusion of innovation theory to account for differences between consumer types and adoption stages. Ultimately, the study provides strategic recommendations for targeting EV communication and incentives based on consumer segmentation and behavioural insight, supporting a more tailored and effective diffusion of EV’s in the Danish market.