Zoom and Accelerate: A Multi-Layered Analysis of Corporate Fleet’s Adoption and Acceptance to Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to explore how hedonic-utilitarian motivations influence organizational decision-making processes and stakeholder dynamics in adoption and acceptance of electric vehicles (EV) in the context of corporate fleets. Furthermore, this thesis also examined how the automotive industry as a mediator navigated the macrolevel pressure of decarbonization while balancing the microlevel needs of individual end-users, addressing the broader challenges of fleet electrification adoption and acceptance in the society. The thesis used an exploratory qualitative case study approach, with data collected through semi-structured interviews with various fleet stakeholders, including Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) representatives and end-driver employees primarily in the Northern and Western European markets. The findings shared a multi-layered motivational framework to EV adoption based on each fleet stakeholder’s perspectives, as well as providing a multi-level dynamic framework that mapped the tensions between each stakeholder in the fleet business process. This thesis contributed theoretically to the research of hedonic-utilitarian consumption, specifically within the realm of fleet and the broader automotive industry. It also addressed the emergence of the ‘user-chooser’ scheme that disrupted traditional fleet decision-making structures. Practically, the thesis offered insights for OEMs and its corporate clients in navigating the ‘pressure sandwich’ created by individual end-drivers in the microlevel unit and policy or legislation makers in the macrolevel unit.