Breaking the Internal Combustion Engine Reign: A Mixed-Methods Study of Attitudes Towards Using and Purchasing Electric Vehicles in Kuwait

The research project addresses a broad gap in electric vehicles (EV) research in settings like Kuwait, namely a lack of attitudinal and customer preference research into perceptions of EVs. Research into the technical and infrastructural dimensions of EV-adoption in GCC countries is well underway, including research funded by KFAS and KISR in Kuwait. Much less well understood, however, are social attitudes towards EVs and EV-use in Kuwait, and how best to market EVs there once those attitudes are better understood. In addition, the research fills two smaller gaps in the existing research into attitudes towards EV-adoption in the Middle East. First, existing studies rely on survey data, but fail to explore the attitudes reported in surveys in more depth using qualitative data. Second, these same studies also concern prospective EV owners only, and fail to include the perspectives of early adopters.

Outputs

Andri, Ottesen, Sumayya, Banna, Basil Alzougool, and Sadeq Damrah A Greener Kuwait: How Electric Vehicles can Lower CO2 Emissions. LSE Middle East Centre Kuwait Programme Paper Series (18). August 2023. 

Andri Ottesen and Sam Toglaw, ‘Electric Vehicles – A Value Proposition for Emerging Markets. The Case of Kuwait’ presentation, 38th EBES Conference – Warsaw, 16-18 January 2022.

Pre-study: Andri Ottesen and Sumayya Banna, 'Why so few EVs are in Kuwait and how to amend it', International Journal of Engineering and Technology, 10 (2), 2021.

Presentation: Andri Ottesen, Sumayya Banna and Basil Alzougool, 'Attitudes towards Electric Vehicle in Kuwait: A Mixed Method Approach', 40th EBES Conference Istanbul, July 2022.