Factors causing electric vehicles adoption in India: a regression and sentiment analysis approach

Purpose Based on the available literature, this paper aims to build a theoretical framework identifying the following five factors influencing electric vehicle (EV) adoption: 1) demographic factors, 2) environmental factors, 3) infrastructural factors, 4) economic factors and 5) fiscal policy factors. The authors then identified the variables representing these factors and built a linear regression model. The authors collected cross-sectional data of the identified variables of Indian states and estimated the regression model using the ordinary least squares method. Design/methodology/approach India has witnessed a rapid adoption of EVs in the two-wheelers and three-wheelers segment. The paper aims to identify the factors influencing EV adoption in India. Findings The estimated results indicate that EV adoption is significantly increasing in India due to the rising population and increasing number of power charging stations. The authors also found that government policy incentives have no significant impact on EV adoption. Practical implications The study’s findings and the recommended changes in India’s current EV policy aim to help policymakers achieve faster adoption of EVs in India. Originality/value The authors further conducted a sentiment analysis of the people’s comments on popular YouTube videos and found that most people have negative sentiments towards EV adoption because of battery-related problems and range anxiety.