**5. Consumer Survey Results in Selected Southeast Asian Countries**

The consumer interest in electric vehicles is also the subject of much research and analysis. Until recently, no such studies had been conducted in Asian countries (Figure 7).

For example, a study carried out by Frost & Sullivan on behalf of Nissan showed that consumers in Southeast Asia are very enthusiastic about owning an electric vehicle [26,52]:


**Figure 7.** Consumers' expected EV price range after incentives in selected ASEAN countries. Source: https://www2.deloitt e.com/content/dam/Deloitte/sg/Documents/strategy/sea-strategy-operations-full-speed-ahead-report.pdf (accessed on 4 November 2021) [53].

> Other surveys, conducted by Deloitte, address issues of the main factors that influence the final purchase decision, among others [53].

> It should be noted that the first and most important criterion for choosing an electric car is its price. As the results of the survey in the selected countries show, the majority of respondents believe that the price of an electric vehicle should be lower than or close to that of a standard vehicle. The vast majority of the respondents are not willing to pay a

premium price or significantly more than for a standard vehicle. The exception are the respondents in Vietnam, who are willing to pay a price higher than the price of a standard vehicle. Such survey results may indicate that a significant barrier in the development of electric vehicle market is the price, which is generally higher than that of standard vehicles (Figure 8).

**Figure 8.** Consumers' expectations for the availability of EV charging facilities in selected ASEAN countries. Source: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/sg/Documents/strategy/sea-strategy-operations-full-sp eed-ahead-report.pdf (accessed on 4 November 2021) [53].

> A major factor inhibiting the development of electric vehicles is the charging method. As mentioned, depending on the technology used, charging takes from a dozen minutes (the so-called fast chargers—usually available in city centres) to a few hours (usually at home). As the survey results indicate, most respondents expect to be able to charge their vehicle at home. Different results were reported in Singapore, where the majority of respondents would like to be able to charge their car at public charging stations. This may be due to the specific urban structure of this city-state (Figure 9).

**Figure 9.** Consumers' top concerns for the adoption of EV in selected ASEAN countries. Source: https://www2.deloitte.co m/content/dam/Deloitte/sg/Documents/strategy/sea-strategy-operations-full-speed-ahead-report.pdf (accessed on 4 November 2021) [53].

> The survey also asked potential consumers about their top concerns associated with the purchase and use of electric vehicles. The most important concerns include (in order of mention):


### **6. Conclusions**

The development of the electric vehicle market in Southeast Asian countries, as in other regions of the world, depends on many factors. The most important ones include the cost of purchasing and maintaining a car, access to charging infrastructure, and other amenities for electric car users. Cost-effectiveness remains an important criterion for buyers when deciding to purchase a vehicle. The costs of acquiring and operating an electric car currently exceed the costs incurred in the case of combustion engine vehicles. With their experiences and highly developed industry, Southeast Asian countries have an opportunity to achieve excellent results. However, for this to happen, it is worth considering the introduction of incentives similar to those that have contributed to the rapid development of the market in some European countries. The most commonly mentioned incentives include: tax reduction, investor facilitation, user amenities, and, most importantly, government commitment to building and maintaining a widespread charging network. Due to the fact that Asia is a very dynamically developing region, it should be noted that the pace of development of the electric vehicle market may be very high.

An important issue concerning the ASEAN countries is the fact that within a united organization, these countries can impose, following the example of the European Union countries, common rules for introducing, supporting, and promoting electric vehicles. It should also be noted that ASEAN countries can imitate their neighbour, China, which has a strong and highly developed electric vehicle market.

Moreover, ASEAN countries such as Thailand and the Philippines are not only a potential demand market but also an important supply market, as they are already producing both electric vehicles and components such as motors and batteries.

**Author Contributions:** Methodology, K.G; software, P.K.; validation, K.G.; formal analysis, P.K.; investigation, P.K.; resources, both authors; data curation, K.G.; writing—original draft preparation, both authors; writing—review and editing, P.K.; visualization, P.K.; supervision, K.G.; project administration, P.K.; funding acquisition, both authors. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
