The Global Electric Vehicle Market, Sustainable Economics, and AI-Driven Marketing

Pascal Stiefenhofer ()
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Pascal Stiefenhofer: Newcastle University, Economics

Chapter Chapter 9 in Conscious Consumption, 2026, pp 465-525 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter investigates the electric vehicle (EV) market through the dual lenses of technological evolution and normative economic transformation, grounded in the projection model of industrial possibilities and a game-theoretic analysis of strategic transition. It begins by tracing the historical milestones and policy dynamics that shaped the rise of EVs, before analyzing the economic impacts of market growth, including industrial restructuring, green job creation, and reduced fossil fuel dependency. These transformations are formalized through propositions that link consumer consciousness, institutional reinforcement, and equilibrium stability, showing how ethical consumption reshapes the strategic calculus of firms. The chapter then turns to the challenges of EV adoption—high upfront costs, range anxiety, and infrastructure gaps—framing them within the evolving moral economy of sustainable mobility. Technological and policy responses, such as battery innovation, subsidies, and targeted incentives, are examined as mechanisms that alter the payoff structures and expand the feasible moral-industrial space. Ethical dimensions are emphasized, particularly in the integration of AI into supply chains and corporate sustainability strategies. Building on this foundation, the analysis explores how artificial intelligence is transforming EV marketing through personalization, predictive analytics, automated content generation, conversational agents, and ethical AI-driven advertising. AI is shown to not only enhance efficiency but to actively reshape the parameters of transition by amplifying consumer consciousness, lowering effective transition costs, and reinforcing reputational dynamics. Case studies at both country and company levels—including Norway, China, the United States, Tesla, BYD, and NIO—provide empirical grounding, illustrating how institutional contexts mediate these dynamics. The chapter concludes by reflecting on the interplay between technology, ethics, and market design. It argues that sustainable and inclusive EV adoption depends on the alignment of three forces: innovation, conscious consumption, and ethically governed AI. Together, these forces ensure that the EV transition is not only technologically irreversible but also morally anchored and socially legitimate, positioning electric mobility as a cornerstone of the broader project of conscious consumption and democratic sustainability.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-22336-4_9

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-22336-4_9

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