Public Perceptions of Electric Vehicle Adoption in Kuwait: The Role of Low Electricity Tariffs, Charging Constraints, and Fire-Safety Concerns

This study examines public perceptions of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Kuwait, a high-income petroleum-dependent country characterized by highly subsidized electricity, low fuel prices, limited charging infrastructure, and extreme climatic conditions. Using a structured survey of 1753 licensed drivers, the study evaluates how economic incentives, practical constraints, environmental perceptions, technological confidence, and safety concerns shape expectations of future EV diffusion. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and ordinal logistic regression were used to examine the factors associated with respondents’ expectation of widespread EV adoption in Kuwait over the next ten years. The regression results show that low-tariff/delayed-bill perception was the strongest positive predictor of expected EV adoption, indicating that Kuwait’s low-cost electricity environment may strengthen expectations of EV diffusion. However, the findings also demonstrate that electricity tariffs alone do not explain public expectations. EV performance perception, environmental benefit perception, workplace charging, battery warranty, prior passenger experience in an EV, and higher weekly fuel expenditure were also positively associated with stronger expectations of EV adoption. In contrast, perceived complexity was negatively associated with expected adoption, highlighting the importance of consumer familiarity and ease of use. Safety-related perceptions, particularly concerns regarding EV fire-extinguishing difficulty and lower perceived safety compared with conventional vehicles, were also significant, suggesting that fire safety remains a salient issue in the Kuwaiti context. The findings contribute to the literature on sustainable transportation adoption in petroleum-based economies and extreme climates by showing that EV diffusion depends on a combination of economic, infrastructural, technological, environmental, and safety-related factors. Policy efforts in Kuwait should therefore combine charging-infrastructure development, workplace charging expansion, consumer education, battery-warranty assurance, and EV-specific safety and emergency-response measures.