New buyer groups for electric cars

The success of electromobility to date is primarily due to a special customer group, the so-called innovators and early adopters, mostly technology enthusiasts, ecologically orientated men with above-average incomes. This is now changing.

The current dip in the ramp-up of electromobility also has to do with the fact that electric car customers are now becoming more diverse. However, the industry is not yet prepared for this. The market research company USCALE has now carried out an initial customer segmentation of the market. One result: electromobility will create new segmentations in the vehicle market.

The diversity in the electromobility ecosystem is growing and with it the need to bring order and structure to the evaluation. Until now, customers of the new drive system have mostly been male, high earners, interested in technology and ecologically orientated. As customer interest grows, this description can no longer be maintained. Products can therefore no longer be successfully placed with this target customer in mind alone.

First persona profiles

The market research company USCALE has been systematically collecting customer data on electromobility since 2018. Now, for the first time, the market research company has superimposed analyses from the areas of charging behaviour, e-car purchases and e-car use and created the first persona profiles.

To create the persona profiles, the survey results on loading behaviour were evaluated over several years and enriched with the results of a comprehensive persona study. In order to visualise the resulting characters, exemplary persona images were created with the help of ChatGPT. They are representative of the user profiles on the German market.

USCALE categorises the EV personas into four groups:

• Status-conscious conservatives, who place a lot of value on performance and tradition. For them, cars are an expression of their personality. They are less interested in technology.
• Progressive performers value electric cars above all for their high-performance technology. Ecology is less important to them.
• Frugal Pragmatists are hardly interested in the technology and ecological benefits of electric mobility. For them, the car is a means to an end.
• Environmentally orientated techies are highly motivated electric car drivers who are inspired by the combination of technology and ecology. Their trust in experts is high.

»We recognise that the previous segmentation of the vehicle market from the days of the combustion engine is not enough. That's why sales and marketing experts will have to adapt to the new customer diversity,« explains Dr Axel Sprenger, founder and Managing Director of USCALE.

Need for action on charging technology

USCALE sees the first need for action in the area of charging technology. According to the market researchers, various charging types have crystallised. At the same time, competition for charging technology and charging services is increasing significantly. Suppliers must therefore focus their products more strongly on specific target groups in order to be successful.

»When buying a combustion car, refuelling behaviour has no influence on the purchase decision. It's different with electric cars: the charging behaviour has a significant influence on the purchase decision,« says Sprenger.