Influential Factors of Users' Trust in the Range Estimation Systems of Battery Electric Vehicles -- A Survey Study in China

Although the rapid development of battery technology has greatly increased the range of battery electric vehicle (BEV), the range anxiety is still a major concern of BEV users or potential users. Previous work has proposed a framework explaining the influential factors of range anxiety and users' trust toward the range estimation system (RES) of BEV has been identified as a leading factor of range anxiety. The trust in RES may further influence BEV users' charging decisions. However, the formation of trust in RES of BEVs has not yet explored. In this work, a questionnaire has been designed to investigate BEV users' trust in RES and further explore the influential factors of BEV users' charging decision. In total, 152 samples collected from the BEV users in mainland China have been analyzed. The BEV users' gender, driving area, knowledge of BEV or RES, system usability and trust in battery system of smartphones have been identified as influential factors of RES in BEVs, supporting the three-layer framework in automation-related trust (i.e., dispositional trust, situational trust and learned trust). A connection between smartphone charging behaviors and BEV charging behaviors has also been observed. The results from this study can provide insights on the design of RES in BEVs in order to alleviate range anxiety among users. The results can also inform the design of strategies (e.g., advertising, training and in-vehicle HMI design) that can facilitate more rational charging decisions among BEV users.