Women Will Drive the Demand for EVs in the Middle East over the Next 10 Years—Lessons from Today’s Kuwait and 1960s USA

Abstract

The Middle East, Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC), and Kuwait, in particular, are currently experiencing a similar transition as the USA in the 1970s regarding the empowerment and independence of women, fueled by a declining birth rate from four per women to less than two. In addition, the percentage of women with university degrees has been increasing at a logarithmic rate every decade since the 1960s in the USA and since 1990 in Kuwait, resulting in women comprising well over half of all university graduates. This has led to women obtaining better jobs and enjoying greater independence to make their own decisions. In the 1960s, Toyota and other Japanese car manufactures used this phenomenon to penetrate the US market, with significant success. Their selling points were lower maintenance requirements, higher reliability, safety, better environment friendliness and slicker interior designs, the last being especially adapted to women’s tastes. We believe that Chinese and Korean electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers will employ the same playbook with similar success, as the Middle East accelerates its readiness for the EV mainstream market. In this study, this prediction was supported by a quantitative questionnaire of 234 educated female Kuwaiti drivers from the ages of 18 to 40 in Kuwait regarding their preferences regarding EVs. The findings indicate that potential female buyers favor EVs for their environmental benefits, regardless of their demographics. Moreover, potential female consumers are highly willing to purchase EVs in the future under three conditions: infrastructure availability, environmental development, and affordability. We believe that this group, in particular, will present the greatest opportunity to EV manufacturers over the next 10 years.

1. Introduction

1.1. Reasons for Low Adoption Rate of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Kuwait

This particular study is part of a project named “Breaking the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Reign: A Mixed-Methods Study of Attitudes Towards Using and Purchasing EVs in Kuwait”, which is backed by the Kuwaiti Research Council and managed by the Middle East Center (MEC) of the UK-based London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) [1,2,3,4,5]. This paper is a direct continuation of a paper entitled “How to Cross the Chasm for the Electric Vehicle World’s Laggard—A Case Study in Kuwait” [5]. That paper discussed around 10 reasons why EV adoption in Kuwait is among the lowest in the world; that is, with a population of 4.4 million, we estimated EVs on Kuwait streets as of April 2023 to be around 400 (based on EVs sales figures from 2019 to March 2023, including foreign-registered Tesla models). The following 10 factors contribute to the poor acceptance rate were based on the responses of 12 owners of EVs in Kuwait and feedback from all current automobile dealers who either sell EVs or plug-in-hybrid EVs. They were also based on the results from a survey of 600 drivers in Kuwait with various levels of college education, from 18 to 40 years old, whom we considered to be “Early Majority/Pragmatist”, as opposed to “Innovators/Tech Enthusiasts”, and “Early Adopters/Visionaries”, which we considered the appropriate label for current owners. We considered that the phenomenon labeled within the theory of disruption innovation and the technology-adopting life cycle as “Crossing the Chasm (Figure 1)” has yet to occur in the State of Kuwait [5,6]—that is, when the market is opened to the early majority customers who have a strong sense of practicality and want to see well-established references to support their choices to buy EVs [5,6].

The main explanation as to why EVs do not appeal to the pragmatists/early majority lies in the application of the “Technology Acceptance Model” (TAM), which advocates for new users of technology to complete two types of analysis that will determine if they adopt the technology based on its usefulness and simplicity [7,8].

Perceived Usability: “The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance their job performance”—Do I benefit from its usage?

Perceived Ease-of-Use: “The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free from effort”—Is it simple to operate?

1.2. Background to the Problem: Charging Infrastructure Issues

Currently, Kuwait is experiencing several re-charging infrastructure issues, as follows:

1.2.1. Lack of Fast Chargers

Through our analysis, we discovered that the main obstacle for the pragmatist in buying EVs was difficulties associated with charging. Lack of public charging facilities was considered the main obstacle to the widespread adoption of EVs. According to the company ChargedKW [9], there are only 38 alternating current (AC) public charging stations in Kuwait, all of which are located in highly urbanized areas and none in rural parts of the country (see Figure 2). These charging stations are usually connected to shopping centers. It can take up to 5 h to charge an 80 kW EV battery from 5% to 80% charge, as opposed to a 300–400 kW direct current (DC) battery, which takes around 20 min to achieve the same level of charge in the most advanced EVs. However, there are no DC current charging stations in Kuwait, apart from one 25 kW demonstration unit. According to von der Brueggen [10], the Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of ChargedKW, to have a functional EV charging grid, Kuwait would need one such charging station at each of its 150 gas stations. However, this is unlikely without an amendment from municipal and/or transportation authorities, and due to backlog, it would require about 2 years to implement such stations. In the meantime, however, the local government together with traffic authorities could deliver electrical current batteries where they are needed. The unit cost of a DC to DC 300 kW fast charger with installations and cooling unit would be around KWD 15,000 (USD 49,000) or KWD 2.3 million (USD 7.5 million) for one unit per station. The installation period for 150 stations would be just over a year. Hence, if a decision were to be made early in 2023, a full network would be in place by the end of 2026. von der Brueggen [10] says that every two years, another such order would have to be made and implementation accelerated, in order to create up to four charging facilities per station over a period of the next 15 years to keep pace with likely demand. He goes on to say that, in accordance with the TAM model principles of simplicity for the user, such stations need to be universally equipped to service all EVs. Further, payment would need to be made via an app that would also show the next available station, as well as whether it is in use or free.

1.2.2. Rural Grid Problem

Researchers from The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) have suggested a multi-criterial decision-making methodology to optimize the site of DC-to-DC chargers based on population density, as well as the availability of parking/charging. They suggest that priority be given to places such as petrol stations, larger shopping facilities, public service providers such as ministries and public service centers, and large restaurant compounds [11] all around the cost line of the urban area of the greater Kuwait City. One of the main complaints of EV owners was that there were no charging stations outside of urban areas due to lower traffic, as well as a problem sometimes with adequate DC power at rural gas stations. Free-standing grid free charging stations such as those offered by Flowgen technology (Figure 3) could be a solution for rural Kuwait and rural Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), as Kuwaiti EV owners have expressed their interest in being able to drive to Bahrein on weekends through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; currently, they cannot do this because of a lack of EV charging stations. The Flowgen micro grid solution involves combined solar and wind generation that produces around 10 kilowatts (kW) or 16,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year at a cost (without any incentives scheme) of 7.8c USD/kWh. The installed cost of such a station is USD 2.30/W or USD 3–4 million [12].

1.2.3. Reluctance of Kuwaiti Landlords to Allow the Setup of Home Charging Amplifiers

Through our interviews with current EV owners in Kuwait, we noticed a trend of complete resistance by landlords to rent to EV owners if they wish to install an EV amplifier charging box that allows 5 h of overnight charging (usually instead of up to 48 h if the EV is plugged into a regular 220v socket). This total reluctance effectively excludes expats from owning EVs as, by law, only Kuwaitis are allowed to own real estate in Kuwait and rent it to the expat population, which accounts for 75% of the total population but only 25% of ICE car ownership. One of our expat interviewees is an affluent director and co-owner of a large educational facility. He told us that he wanted to move into a larger apartment than his current residence. However, after meeting with over 20 Kuwaiti landlords who told him he could not charge his Tesla X at their apartment complex or private house, he gave up and decided to stay put for the time being. Other EV owners conveyed similar stories. Their recommendations were that the government must both educate and mandate that installing an EV home amplifier box should not be more problematic or restricted than installing a washing machine. As electricity in residential areas is subsidized by the government, extra charges never exceed KWD 10 (USD 33) per month per vehicle. This amount could simply be added to the cost of rent [3,5].

1.2.4. No Respect for Shopping Center EV Charging Parking

Virtually all of the EV owners we interviewed had experienced an ICE car parked in designated EV parking or charging facilities at a shopping center. As there are no fines levied for ICE cars parked in EV spots, this kind of occurrence is inevitable. Another complaint from EV owners regarding these charging facilities was that drivers who charge their EVs would leave their cars parked for much longer than was needed to charge them, effectively blocking other EV drivers from being able to charge their own vehicles. Solutions proposed by the EV owners included the installation of a small camera at every charging station; this camera would sense if an ICE car was parked in an EV spot and send an image to the police, who would then issue a parking ticket fine equivalent to that given for blocking traffic. For EV owners who effectively block other EV owners from charging due to overstaying in charging facilities, they should be connected by the app, which would tell them to move their vehicle when charging is complete or face a similar fine after an appropriate grace period [3,5].

1.2.5. Worries over the Lifetime of the Battery in the Overwhelming Heat of Kuwait

The medium lifetime of an ICE automobile is around 13 years [13]. The US Code of Federal Regulations mandates that EV batteries should last 8 years or 100,000 km, which is 5 years less than the regular lifetime of an ICE vehicle or around a 40% shorter lifetime assuming that the battery will only last the warranty period; moreover, it would be too expensive to exchange the battery after 8 years in comparison with the worth of the car at the eight-year period [14]. A problem with driving in the very high temperature of Kuwaiti climate is that data that extend beyond 8 years are not available, even though extensive research has been conducted into energy intensity and range in a variety of temperatures with and without the use of air conditioning [15,16]. According to user manuals, EV drivers should expect up to 15% degradation and range reduction at the end of the warranty period. If the degradation exceeds 70–75%, usually, the terms of the warranty will be triggered, and the battery will be repaired (cells replaced) or replaced as a whole [17]. Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia cover their batteries for 10 years, while Mercedes offers the best warranty with 10 years or 155,000 km driven [17]. Chinese ICE cars entering the Kuwait market have had to offer longer warranties to obtain credibility. We feel that the same must apply to Chinese EVs, and we would expect to see a 12-year warranty for battery degradation beyond 70% of the original value to appease the mass market early majority or the pragmatists. Kuwaiti consumers are among the least risk prone compared with other nations, with 80 out 100 presenting uncertainty avoidance [18].

1.3. Who Are the Innovators and Early Adaptors in Kuwait?

Through our published research project, we discovered three groups of Tech Enthusiasts/Innovators and Visionaries/Early Adaptors. (1) We labeled the first group “The ultra-rich tech lovers”, a group of 60+-year-old men who are most likely to pay the price of USD 150,000–200,000 for American cars such as full option Porsche, Taycan, Turbo S, and Tesla Model S and X Plaid. The newly purchased car is usually their third or fourth vehicle; the main benefit is owning the fastest cars in Kuwait with less than 3 s to reach 100 km, as well as giving them the feeling of “being an astronaut during liftoff”. (2) The second groups are the “early inventor” group, which is typically composed of 30–40-year-old mid-level managers with a university education, married with 1–2 children, who would buy a Tesla 3 for its quality and the smoothness of driving a gearless powertrain. The wives of early inventors usually own another ICE car, which they use for traveling out of town, as there are no charging stations outside of urban areas. (3) The third group comprise women in middle or senior roles, aged 35–50, who opt for Mercedes EQCs or the subcompact sport utility vehicles (SUVs). For this group, the benefits are the near-nonexistence routine maintenance, as EVs only have 20 moving parts as opposed to over 2000 in ICE automobiles. The safety of EVs plays a significant role for these women, as they are not likely to burst into flames without combustion in the combustion engine and are usually loaded with safety features as standard, such as a blind spot assistant, collisions avoidance, and other driving assistance [19,20]. We might assume that some Chinese EV manufacturers use the Toyota US playbook from the 1970s to enter the Kuwaiti as well as the Middle Eastern markets, generally by catering to female demand: appealing to their sense of reliability, safety, a slick interior design catered to women’s needs, as well as their concern for the environment. We project that small affordable SUVs with at least an 80-kW battery for continued use will become popular among young women. A soundless engine has a special appeal to women who describe the experience like “riding a magic carpet”. The environmental aspect of EVs has furthermore great appeal to women as opposed to men, as a variety of reports from the “Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)” have proved [1,2,3,4,5].

1.4. Problem with the Price of EVs in Kuwait

Most countries give concessions on the taxation of EVs due to their environmental impact. Such concessions are generally the omission of import taxes and value-added taxes (VAT) or sales taxes. No such concessions are in place as of early 2023. The State of Kuwait levies 5% general import taxes that also apply to all cars, including EVs [21]. There are no sales taxes or VAT levied. However, the unfunded budget deficit continues to increase as the cost associated with an increased population have increased faster than the price increase in oil [21]. How many percentage points will be levied remains to be seen. Our prediction is that the State of Kuwait will follow suit with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and raise the VAT in steps to 15% [22]. If the VAT ends at 15% and the State of Kuwait omits VAT and import tariffs for EV imports, the price of EVs will be close to ICE cars, as equivalent cars are now between 20 and 30% more expensive, reflecting the extra cost of manufacturing the EV battery [3]. We believe that such a price equilibrium would greatly improve the likelihood of mainstream buyers purchasing an EV.

1.5. Comparison of Predictions for Women’s Demand between East and West Regions of the Globe: Who Will Be the Early Majority/Pragmatist When Buying EVs—Women?

Assuming that the above condition comes to pass (that is, the government mandating the creation of an EV fast-charging network and omitting import tariff and intended VAT, and EV manufacturers offering an extended warranty of up to 12 years on the EV battery), we feel that educated women between the ages of 18 and 40 will be the largest customer group of EVs in Kuwait [2,4], with features such as fire safety and other safety features, soundless engine, environmental concerns, maintenance-free cars, and interiors catering towards women’s needs and demands winning them over. These exact sales points were used by Toyota and other Japanese car manufacturers to penetrate the US market in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, women comprise 60% of the customer base for passenger cars in the US today [23]. According to Sandi Kayse, Toyota’s national advertising manager, women are mainly interested in Toyota on the basis of safety and security: “For them, reliability is a peace-of-mind issue,” she said. “Women demand a car that will get them where they’re going and not leave them stranded” [23].

Interestingly, the same conditions, in regard to women, that were present when Japan entered the US car market in the 1960s and 1970s are now present in Kuwait, GCC, and the Middle East in general [24]—mainly, that the birth rate per woman dropped from an average of four in the 1950s to less than two in the 1970s; at the same time, women had become the majority group of college graduates [25]. As a result, women have increasingly entered the labor market. Moreover, with their own money comes increased independence and the freedom to make their own choices based on issues that are important to them [26]. In 2023, the majority of college graduates are women, and the birth rate per woman has drastically reduced to just two (a decrease from four in the 1970s) [26]. Among the women who have graduated from university in Kuwait, a staggering 67% aim to be employed in the public sector, in comparison to their male counterparts [27].

It is also worth noting that some Chinese EV manufacturers also use the Toyota US playbook from the 1970s to enter the Kuwait as well as the Middle Eastern market in general, by catering specifically to women, appealing to their sense of reliability and safety, offering a slick interior design catered to women’s needs, as well as appealing to their concern for the environment. We project that small, affordable SUVs with at least an 80-kW battery for continued use will become popular among young women. Ground clearance would also be important for market entry into the Kuwait market, as residential speed bumps are geared towards keeping low-riding muscle cars out. However, as the battery is based at the bottom of an EV and is the most expensive part of the car, it needs to be protected. We recommend at least 15 cm ground clearance for such protection in EVs intended for the Kuwait market [3,5]. We would not be surprised if a Chinese SUV model, equipped with all safety features as a standard and costing around or under KWD 10,000 (USD 33,000), would successfully appeal to educated and environmentally conscious women between the ages of 18 and 40, who would comprise the largest early majority customer group.

1.6. Additional Incentives to Elevate EV Adoption Rate

Norway is the country with the highest EV adoption rate. They have already replaced over 20% of passenger cars with EVs, and around 80% of new cars sold in 2022 were EVs [28]. According to Norwegian transportation authorities, one of the pivotal policies and practices that helped speed up the transition to EV usage was allowing EV drivers to use bus and taxi fast lanes for free in and out of downtown areas towards the suburbs. This considerably shortened the morning and afternoon rush hour traffic and was greatly appreciated by those suburbs dwellers who led the transition [28]. When Kuwait transport authorities are designing and constructing freeways in and out of downtown areas where residents drive in to work from the suburbs, they might consider similar policies as incentives to use public transport as well as zero-emission vehicles such as EVs [29].

Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the landscape of electric vehicles (EVs) in Kuwait from the perspective of Kuwaiti women within Middle Eastern and Arab contexts in order to shed light on the phenomenon. The present paper is motivated by the preceding published articles as a crucial missing part of completed projects on EVs, in order to propose practicable explanations and actionable results on how women’s adoption and demand for EVs in Kuwait could be become a fruitful means of lowering the GHG releases and for the betterment of the breathable air.

2. Literature Review

Numerous reviews of previous work have comprehensively focused on consumer intentions, attitudes, and preferences, highlighting certain attributes of EVs, such as purchasing price and others [1,2,3,4,5,30,31,32]. However, evidence from reviews of prior work often fails to explain the concerns of women in the EV market. Therefore, it is crucial to understand women’s preferences and choices as active role players in the decision-making process, which might positively impact the whole economic expansion and progress in any country worldwide. Therefore, this study is primarily motivated to learn about women’s behavior in Kuwait, inconclusive of their preferences and attitudes on e-mobility as key drivers for the overall economy in a conservative and gender segmented culture such as is in practice in a country like Kuwait.

Most reviews of previous work reveal the importance of cleaner technologies and sustainable mobility—e-mobility with limited or zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—as the ultimate solution to combat environmental issues resulting from destructive human activities [32]. Several reviews have concluded that environmental concerns and economic concerns, i.e., the price of EVs, are the most significant predictors of EV adoption, while technical concerns have a negative effect on EV purchase intentions [33,34,35]. Therefore, these reviews suggest that sound environmental behavior and the adoption of cleaner mobility models and green products need to be promoted among men and women. The studies also suggest the importance of public pressure, policies, and other forms of pressure and incentives by NGOs and consumer interest groups, to influence men and women alike to shift their behavior towards eco-products and e-mobility adoption and consumption. Several reviews of the literature have also found that infrastructure and technological perception tend to be a significant predictor for the adoption of EVs [36,37,38,39,40,41,42].

Interestingly, the majority of reviews into studies on EV consumers mainly focus on developed countries such as Europe and the USA, whereas far fewer studies focus on developing countries, i.e., the largest Southeast Asian markets of China, Malaysia, and India [43,44,45,46,47,48]. More importantly, such reviews are very few and limited within the MENA region—particularly the GCC region—which might signify the literature gap in Kuwait. Hence, the present study aimed at filling the gap in the literature by adding more significant knowledge and contributed as follows:

• (1). Providing insights into the active role played by women in the buying decisions of EVs in Kuwait, this group being the most forgotten and ignored. Moreover, explaining women’s choices, preferences, and attitudes here.

• (2). An attempt to predict the female market demand and provide generalizations for the GCC and MENA markets as crucial regions of the Middle East.

• (3). Providing suggestions and recommendations for automakers to endorse the embracing of electric vehicles within the State of Kuwait and the Middle East region.

• (4). Providing recommendations on government and ministry of transportation policies and changes that need to be implemented and secured for the widespread acceptance of EVs in Kuwait.

3. Methodology

This study aims to investigate Kuwaiti women’s consumer response to the EV landscape. Thus, questionnaires were originally collected from 472 conventional automobile drivers in Kuwait. As the objective of this research was to acquire information about EVs, we concentrated on drivers and proprietors of conventional vehicles who could be considered potential EV purchasers. In Kuwait, the population consists of all drivers and/or owners of conventional automobiles. To meet the goal of this exercise, only women (n = 234) were chosen as the sample population. According to Cohen, a minimum sample size of 160 responses was required for appropriate analysis [49]. This was determined using the G*power 3 program with an effect size of 0.15, a significance level of 0.05, and a power of 0.95. The first section of the questionnaire consists of eleven questions about the demographics of the respondents, including their gender, age, education, household income, employment, nationality, and number of vehicles possessed by their households. The second segment has 18 Likert-scaled statements on the perspectives of electric vehicles. The statements were gathered from previously conducted interviews and literature reviews.

We first distributed a prototype survey and a pilot test evaluation to the Faculty of Business Administration at the Arab Open University (AOU) in order to obtain their approval and for validations. We created two Internet URLs for the exact questionnaire’s Arabic and English versions. Google Forms, a verified data collection platform, was utilized to generate the questionnaire. To participate in this study, respondents must be at least 18 years old and hold a valid driver’s license. The phase of data collection began in February 2022 and ended in May 2022. The method of random sampling was used to capture data, and a large number of questionnaires were sent to the intended respondents. A large sample size enables the accumulation of actionable demographic data and population-level inferences [50,51]. Participants were informed of the study’s objectives and asked to complete the questionnaire. To avoid misunderstandings on the subject, instructions for completing the questionnaire were provided on a cover page. To assure the study’s objectivity, respondents were asked one qualifying question to determine whether they drive and/or own a conventional automobile. They were then permitted to complete the remainder of the questionnaire.

Using IBM SPSS 19 software, we performed statistical analysis. To analyze the data regarding the demographic characteristics and closed-ended queries, descriptive statistics (i.e., frequencies and percentages) were calculated. As a result, no hypothesis was formulated, as the purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of EV attributes among potential consumers. Additionally, ANOVA and t-tests were conducted to identify significant differences.

4. Data Analysis and Findings

In this study, 234 female drivers responded to the online survey. Figure 4 provides a summary of the demographic characteristics of the sample population (early majority female drivers in Kuwait). About half of the women participants were between the ages of 26 and 39 (46.2%), while more than a third were between the ages of 18 and 25 (38.9%). More than half of the respondents (57.7%) were unmarried, solitary women, while nearly one-fifth (17.9%) were married with three or more children. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of the participants were Kuwaitis, while the remaining third were Arabs from the Middle East. At least 58% of respondents possess a bachelor’s degree, and 35% of individuals own 2 vehicles, while 27.4% own 5 or more vehicles. More than a third of participants (36.3%) worked in the public sector, while roughly a third (30.8%) were employed in the private sector. More than 60.3% of participants earned less than KWD 1000 per month.

The subsequent measure is used to enable reporting the remaining of findings:

• From the highest agreement: Calculated mean (M ≥ 2.34);

• From the medium agreement: Calculated mean (1.67 ≥ M < 2.34);

• From the lowest agreement: Calculated mean (M < 1.67).

Regarding the most looked-for features of EVs, as viewed by our survey contributors (see Figure 5), they “strongly agreed” on only one feature in particular, that is eco-friendliness, which leads to improved air quality (M = 2.39). Other features had medium agreement, such as a much lower electric charging price compared to gasoline prices driving the same mileage (M = 2.28). Other features also showed medium agreements; these had increased safety records regarding the vehicle fire and demonstrated the enhanced safety features during crash tests (M = 2.27). The soundless engine (M = 2.26), quicker and stronger internal air-cooling features (M = 2.26), more torque (acceleration from 0–100 km) (M = 2.15), and less maintenance cost associated with less routine maintenance and parts replacements (M = 2.07) also showed medium agreements.

Regarding the perceived requirements or conditions to purchase an EV (see Figure 6), participants strongly agreed on three conditions: a fast-charging station within 5 km of nearly every location in Kuwait (M = 2.37), a discernible change in air quality as a result of people driving EVs (M = 2.35), and a battery warranty of at least 10 years or 150,000 km (M = 2.34). Other requirements had moderate agreement, including if the range (how far they can drive) per full charge would be at least 400 km (M = 2.30), if they had a cool and unique design (M = 2.30), if the reselling value would be equal to or greater than a gasoline car (M = 2.30), if there was a special electric car lane on major highways (M = 2.27), and if the price was the same or lower than an equivalent gasoline (M = 2.24).

The t-test and ANOVA were used to determine whether there were statistically significant differences between the identified most favorable feature of EVS and the requirements to purchase EVS based on four background variables with two groups (i.e., marital status, ethnicity, education, and number of cars owned) and three background variables with more than two groups (i.e., number of cars owned) (i.e., age range, monthly income, and employment). Figure 6 and Figure 9 provide a summary of the findings.

As shown in Figure 7, none of the seven background variables—sex, years of age, level of education, income per household, profession, nationality, as well as sum of automobiles owned by the participants’ households—are significantly associated with the indicated desired feature for EVs. This indicates that, regardless of demographic background, women drivers in Kuwait favor EVs for their environmental benefits.

With regards to the fast-charging facilities (Figure 8), only one variable, namely number of cars owned by the respondents’ households—is significantly associated with the indicated key condition for purchasing EVs. Those who owned between 1 and 2 automobiles strongly agreed that a fast-charging station should be located within 5 km of practically every populated area in Kuwait (M = 2.49, p = 0.04), whereas those who owned 3 or more automobiles only marginally agreed (M = 2.29). Conversely, there were no statistically significant differences between the other six participant background factors and the study’s identified essential conditions for purchasing EVs.

With regards to the impact on air quality (Figure 9), only one variable, namely work sector (employment), is significantly associated with the indicated key condition for purchasing EVs. Women who worked either for public or private entities strongly agreed that a change in air quality because of the rising usage of EVs should be noticed before they purchase EVs (M = 2.44, M = 2.42, p = 0.031), but those who were self-employed or unemployed only moderately agreed (M = 1.95, M = 2.29). In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences between the other six participant background factors and the study’s identified essential conditions for purchasing EVs.

With regards to the duration and longevity of the EV battery (Figure 10), there were no significant differences between all seven background factors of the participants and this key conditions for purchasing EVs identified by the study. This indicates that, regardless of demographic background, women drivers in Kuwait would purchase EVs if duration and longevity of the EV battery perform over the set minimum as per guarantee for no less than 10 years or 150,000 km.

5. Discussion

This study analyzed the behavior of Kuwaiti women in terms of their EV choices, preferences, and attitudes in relation to their demographic factors. We discovered that women who drive conventional automobiles prefer to drive EVs due to their pro-environmental societal attributes (i.e., environmental friendliness and lower CO₂ emissions, which leads to better air quality). This indicates that, in the future, women in Kuwait will choose EVs over gasoline vehicles for environmental reasons alone. This outcome is consistent with previous reviews of work undertaken in certain nations [2,4,42]. Intriguingly, we discovered that none of the seven background variables—sex, years of age, level of education, income per household, profession and job, nationality, and sums of automobiles owned by the respondents’ households—are significantly associated with the indicated desired feature for EVs. This indicates that, regardless of demographic background, women drivers in Kuwait favor EVs for their environmental benefits. In addition, we found that women are highly likely to purchase EVs in the future due to their infrastructure, environmental, financial, and economic characteristics, as well as specific circumstances relating to each characteristic:

• Infrastructure attributes: ‘if and only if’ a fast-recharging station is located within 5 km of any given location in Kuwait, preferably at every gas station;

• Environmental attributes: ‘if and only if’ women start to notice any changes in air quality after people switch to driving electric cars;

• Financial or economic attributes: ‘if and only if’ the guarantees and warranties of the battery perform over set minimum as per guarantee for no less than 10 years or 150,000 km (preferably 12 years, which would be considered the lifetime of the vehicle).

Research indicates that women drivers in Kuwait will prefer to purchase EVs in the future under three conditions: infrastructure availability, environmental impact, and cost effectiveness. This conclusion is consistent with prior research from other nations [40].

In addition, we discovered a statistically significant difference between women who owned one to two cars and those who owned three or more automobiles in relation to the aforementioned prerequisites for purchasing EVs. We discovered that women who own one to two automobiles are more probable to buy an EV in the future due to their infrastructure attributes (i.e., if a fast-recharging station was in the vicinity of 5 km of anywhere in Kuwait) than women who own three or more cars. In contrast, we observed no significant variations in environmental, financial, or economic characteristics in relation to the sum of automobiles kept by women.

This confirms that female drivers in Kuwait who retain one to two vehicles will purchase an electric vehicle in the near future under one precondition: the availability of fast-charging network throughout Kuwait and preferably all the way to Bahrain via Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, there was a considerable difference between women employed in the public or private sector and those who were self-employed or unemployed in terms of the stated necessary conditions to purchase EVs. We discovered that women employed in the public or private sectors are strongly inclined to purchase EVs in the future due to their environmental benefits (i.e., if they noticed a transformation in breathable air quality because of the switch to people driving electric cars). This shows that female drivers employed in the public or private sectors in Kuwait would be likely to purchase EVs in the future under one condition: an improvement in air quality. On the other hand, there does not appear to be a statistically significant difference between other sets of infrastructures, financial, or economic characteristics and the job status of women, i.e., self-employment and unemployment.

6. Limitations and Future Studies

This particular exercise has certain boundaries, despite all the necessary efforts that were made to conduct this research within time and resource constraints. Since the sample of this research was collected from one venue (AOU) in Kuwait, this restriction prevents us from achieving generalization for the Kuwait context. Indeed, further studies are needed on this particular topic with a larger sample. For instance, qualitative studies with EV owners are required to explore hidden insights into the adoption of EVs and the related preferences. One of the qualifying variables in the survey was that participants had to own a car. There are about 2.5 million vehicles registered in Kuwait in 2021. [52]. Excluding vehicles that are company-owned and registered to males in this conservative country, we estimate that about 350,000 vehicles are registered to women in Kuwait. Here, we sampled for “early-majority” future customers which we assumed to be 40% of the total population or 140,000 early majority female drivers. Our survey sample was 234 women or about 0.2% (0.0016) of the total population, which is by most accounts small and, without our resource’s restrictions, should optimally have been around 1000 participants. As a result, our margin of error is about +/− 7%, assuming 95% level of confidence. [53] Also see Appendix A, Table A1, Table A2, Table A3 and Table A4 (t tests and ANOVA Tables) for further explanations on analysis of variances. However, we still believe that the study yielded statistically significant indicative and representative results of the population.

Our prediction that women will be the largest early adopter group is based on the assumption that underlying factors today—concerning purchasing power and the independence of women to make their own choices, their increased detachment from the home in favor of the workplace, and lower birth rates—are similar in Kuwait, GCC, and the Middle East to the 1960s and 1970s, when Toyota and other Japanese car manufacturers penetrated the American market with a marketing strategy that emphasized low prices and high quality. Other factors, such as religion, culture, and traditional values, which were not explored in this article, may also play a role.

7. Conclusions and Implications

The present research investigated and predicted the potential demand for Kuwaiti women drivers’ adoptions and preferences for EVs. Our prediction that women will be the largest early adopter group is based on the assumption that underlying factors today—concerning purchasing power and the independence of women to make their own choices, their increased detachment from the home in favor of the workplace, and lower birth rates—are similar in Kuwait, GCC, and the Middle East to the 1960s and 1970s, when Toyota and other Japanese car manufacturers penetrated the American market with a marketing strategy that emphasized low prices and high quality. Other factors, such as religion, culture, and traditional values, which were not explored in this article, may also play a role.

The present research is also considered to be one of the few published studies to examine the preferences and attitudes of female drivers providing a quantitative depiction of their consumption of electric vehicles in Kuwait. The study identified a segment of potential female Kuwaiti EV purchasers who favored EVs over other vehicles. Intriguingly, the findings of the study indicated that potential female clients were extremely eager to purchase EVs in the near future under three conditions and reasons: infrastructure availability, environmental enhancement perception, and affordability. There were considerable discrepancies in the reported essential conditions for women to purchase EVs based on the number of cars they owned and their employment position. Furthermore, this study theoretically and practically contributed to the inadequate pool of reviews into studies focusing on women’s perceptions of EVs—as they are active decision makers in emerging economies such as Kuwait—by offering a coherent comparison of EVitization between developing and industrialized countries. In practical terms, this research suggested that women drivers prefer EVs over ICE vehicles due to their eco-friendly value. Hence, we proposed that marketing campaigns should strongly consider incorporating this particularly significant value when targeting the demographic of women drivers.

In addition, the findings of this study indicated that female drivers demand that issues regarding infrastructure need to be resolved in Kuwait. The surveyed women demanded suitable infrastructure inclusive of rapid recharging stations, with the aim of achieving accessibility and availability. Thus, policymakers and public ministries in Kuwait are encouraged to begin building these charging stations and facilitate the extensive market acceptance of electric vehicles around the country. In addition, the findings indicated that women drivers are likely to choose EVs in the future for economic reasons, namely their durable batteries. Hence, manufacturers of EVs should build batteries with the longest lifespan. In addition, the findings also revealed that women drivers expect an improvement in air quality as soon as EVs are put to use. Hence, the marketing strategies of EV dealerships should target women drivers and emphasize outcomes such as the improvement in air quality arising from the use of electric vehicles.

Provided that the availability of public facilities such as local fast-charging stations exists, which is a crucial prerequisite for women who own between one and two gasoline cars to purchase electric cars, it is crucial to promote the knowledge and knowhow to use among these women about any available charging stations in Kuwait. The conclusions of the study discovered that the employment sector also plays a crucial role in encouraging women to purchase EVs. Thus, we proposed that EV dealerships should focus their marketing campaigns on targeting this group of women, particularly those who work in the public and private sectors and own between one and two conventional cars. These campaigns should emphasize the environmental benefits of EVs, in order to reinforce the message of improved air quality and lowering greenhouse gases.

Author Contributions

A.O. is the principal investor of the project and is responsible for its conceptualization, methodology, and editing, as well as the funding acquisition and administration. S.B. and B.A. are responsible for the literature review, conceptualization, synthesis, methodology, validation, formal analysis, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

This study was approved by the London School of Economics and Political Science Ethics Committee (00558000004KJE9AAO), dated 24 November 2021.

Informed Consent Statement

An informed statement about the usage and purpose of the study was included in the questionnaire, as directed by the LSE Ethics Committee.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Abbreviations

LSE	London School of Economics and Political Science
EVs	Electric Vehicles
AC	Alternating Current
DC	Direct Current
CTO	Chief Technical Officer
TAM	Technology Acceptance Model
ICE	Internal Combustion Engine
OECD	The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
VAT	Value-Added Taxes
GCC	Middle East, Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
SUV	Sport Utility Vehicle
GHG	Greenhouse Gas
AOU	Arab Open University
KSA	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
kW	Kilowatt
kWh	Kilowatt hour

Footnotes

Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Figures

Figure 1. Crossing the Chasm—Source: Moore 1991.

Figure 2. 38 Alternating Current charging stations in the urban area of Kuwait. Source: ChargedKW 2023 [9].

Figure 3. Green energy system to charge EV. Source: Flowgen 2023 [12].

Figure 4. Demographic data summary of characteristics of the participating (early majority/pragmatists) women drivers in Kuwait.

Figure 5. The greatest agreeable categories of the EVs as per the participants (N = 234).

Figure 6. The prerequisite to purchase EVs as perceived by the participants (N = 234).

Figure 7. Overall environmental friendliness factors.

Figure 8. Importance of installing network of Fast-charging facilities as a condition to buying EVs *.

Figure 9. Measuring perceived importance of improvement of air quality from switching from internal combustion car to electric vehicle *.

Figure 10. Duration and longevity of the EV battery.

Appendix A

Table A1

Comparison of means scores of the identified most favorable feature of EVs in terms of seven background variables of the participants (i.e., Environmental friendliness, less CO₂ and sod that lead to better air quality—Overall environmental friendliness factors).

Variables	Categories (N)	Mean	SD	Std. Err. Mean	t	df	Sig. (2-Tailed)	Mean Diff.	Std. Err. Diff.	95% Conf. Interval of Diff.
										Lower	Upper
Marital Status	Single (N = 135)	2.40	0.775	0.067	0.0154	232	0.878	0.016	0.105	−0.191	0.223
	Married (N = 99)	2.38	0.817	0.082
Ethnicity	Kuwaiti (N = 145)	2.38	0.791	0.066	−0.341	232	0.733	−0.036	0.107	−0.247	0.174
	Non-Kuwaiti (N = 89)	2.42	0.795	0.084
Education	Diploma and high school certificate (N = 75)	2.28	0.831	0.096	−1.193	210	0.234	−0.136	0.114	−0.361	0.089
	Bachelor’s degree (N = 137)	2.42	0.773	0.066
Number of cars owned	One to two cars (N = 101)	2.50	0.770	0.077	1.724	232	0.086	0.179	0.104	−0.026	0.384
	Three cars and more (N = 133)	2.32	0.801	0.069
					Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Age Range	18–25 years (N = 91)	2.42	0.776	0.081	0.480	2	0.240	0.382	0.683	2.26	2.58
	26–39 years (N = 108)	2.41	0.774	0.074						2.26	2.56
	40–60 years (N = 35)	2.29	0.893	0.151						1.98	2.59
Monthly Income	Less than 500 KD (N = 86)	2.23	0.821	0.089	4.031	3	1.344	2.179	0.091	2.06	2.41
	500–999 KD (N = 55)	2.56	0.739	0.100						2.36	2.76
	1000–1499 KD (N = 55)	2.44	0.764	0.103						2.23	2.64
	1500 KD and above (N = 38)	2.45	0.795	0.129						2.19	2.71
Employment	Self-employed and Family-owned (N = 22)	2.00	0.873	0.186	3.841	3	1.280	2.074	0.104	1.61	2.39
	Private sector (N = 72)	2.42	0.783	0.092						2.23	2.60
	Public sector (N = 85)	2.46	0.810	0.088						2.28	2.63
	Unemployed (N = 55)	2.42	0.712	0.096						2.23	2.61

Table A2

Comparison of means scores of the identified necessary requirements to buy EVs in terms of seven background variables of the participants (i.e., If there was a fast-charging station within 5 km from almost every place in Kuwait—Fast-charging facilities).

Variables	Categories (N)	Mean	SD	Std. Err. Mean	t	df	Sig. (2-Tailed)	Mean Diff.	Std. Err. Diff.	95% Conf. Interval of Diff.
										Lower	Upper
Marital Status	Single (N = 135)	2.39	0.691	0.059	0.317	1920.5	0.752	0.032	0.100	−0.165	0.229
	Married (N = 99)	2.35	0.799	0.080
Ethnicity	Kuwaiti (N = 145)	2.34	0.757	0.063	−0.896	232	0.371	−0.089	0.099	−0.285	0.107
	Non-Kuwaiti (N = 89)	2.43	0.705	0.075
Education	Diploma and high school certificate (N = 75)	2.32	0.738	0.085	−0.353	210	0.724	−0.038	0.107	−0.248	0.173
	Bachelor’s degree (N = 137)	2.36	0.745	0.064
Number of cars owned	One to two cars (N = 101)	2.49	0.716	0.071	2.064	232	0.040 *	0.199	0.097	0.009	0.390
	Three cars and more (N = 133)	2.29	0.744	0.065
					Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Age Range	18–25 years (N = 91)	2.41	0.699	0.073	0.860	2	0.430	0.789	0.455	2.26	2.55
	26–39 years (N = 108)	2.39	0.721	0.069						2.25	2.53
	40–60 years (N = 35)	2.23	0.877	0.148						1.93	2.53
Monthly Income	Less than 500 KD (N = 86)	2.31	0.707	0.076	0.543	3	0.181	0.330	0.804	2.16	2.47
	500–999 KD (N = 55)	2.38	0.757	0.102						2.18	2.59
	1000–1499 KD (N = 55)	2.44	0.739	0.100						2.24	2.64
	1500 KD and above (N = 38)	2.39	0.790	0.128						2.14	2.65
Employment	Self-employed and Family-owned (N = 22)	2.05	0.844	0.180	2.794	3	0.931	10.730	0.162	1.67	2.42
	Private sector (N = 72)	2.44	0.710	0.084						2.28	2.61
	Public sector (N = 85)	2.40	0.727	0.079						2.24	2.56
	Unemployed (N = 55)	2.36	0.729	0.098						2.17	2.56

Note: * p < 0.05.

Table A3

Comparison of means scores of the identified necessary requirements to buy EVs in terms of seven background variables of the participants (i.e., If I start to see noticeable change in air quality because people are driving electric cars—Impact on air quality) *.

Variables	Categories (N)	Mean	SD	Std. Err. Mean	t	df	Sig. (2-Tailed)	Mean Diff.	Std. Err. Diff.	95% Conf. Interval of Diff.
										Lower	Upper
Marital Status	Single (N = 135)	2.38	0.690	0.059	0.676	232	0.499	0.065	0.096	−0.124	0.253
	Married (N = 99)	2.31	0.765	0.077
Ethnicity	Kuwaiti (N = 145)	2.34	0.730	0.061	−0.151	232	0.880	−0.015	0.097	−0.207	0.177
	Non-Kuwaiti (N = 89)	2.36	0.711	0.075
Education	Diploma and high school certificate (N = 75)	2.27	0.723	0.083	−0.867	210	0.387	−0.091	0.105	−0.298	0.116
	Bachelor’s degree (N = 137)	2.36	0.735	0.063
Number of cars owned	One to two cars (N = 101)	2.41	0.751	0.075	10.026	232	0.306	0.098	0.095	−0.090	0.285
	Three cars and more (N = 133)	2.31	0.698	0.061
					Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Age Range	18–25 years (N = 91)	2.38	0.696	0.073	0.411	2	0.206	0.393	0.676	2.24	2.53
	26–39 years (N = 108)	2.35	0.715	0.069						2.22	2.49
	40–60 years (N = 35)	2.26	0.817	0.138						1.98	2.54
Monthly Income	Less than 500 KD (N = 86)	2.23	0.714	0.077	2.515	3	0.838	1.624	0.185	2.08	2.39
	500–999 KD (N = 55)	2.36	0.704	0.095						2.17	2.55
	1000–1499 KD (N = 55)	2.40	0.735	0.099						2.20	2.60
	1500 KD and above (N = 38)	2.53	0.725	0.118						2.29	2.76
Employment	Self-employed and Family-owned (N = 22)	1.95	0.785	0.167	4.571	3	1.524	3.003	0.031 *	1.61	2.30
	Private sector (N = 72)	2.42	0.687	0.081						2.26	2.58
	Public sector (N = 85)	2.44	0.715	0.078						2.28	2.59
	Unemployed (N = 55)	2.29	0.712	0.096						2.10	2.48

Note: * p < 0.05.

Table A4

Comparison of means scores of the identified necessary requirements to buy EVs in terms of seven background variables of the participants (i.e., If the guaranty of the battery would last as least 10 years or 150,000 km—Duration and longevity of the EV battery).

Variables	Categories (N)	Mean	SD	Std. Err. Mean	t	df	Sig. (2-Tailed)	Mean Diff.	Std. Err. Diff.	95% Conf. Interval of Diff.
										Lower	Upper
Marital Status	Single (N = 135)	2.36	0.719	0.062	0.600	232	0.549	0.060	0.100	−0.137	0.257
	Married (N = 99)	2.30	0.801	0.081
Ethnicity	Kuwaiti (N = 145)	2.33	0.755	0.063	−0.170	232	0.865	−0.017	0.102	−0.218	0.183
	Non-Kuwaiti (N = 89)	2.35	0.755	0.080
Education	Diploma and high school certificate (N = 75)	2.29	0.749	0.087	−0.327	210	0.744	−0.035	0.108	−0.247	0.177
	Bachelor’s degree (N = 137)	2.33	0.749	0.064
Number of cars owned	One to two cars (N = 101)	2.42	0.765	0.076	1.387	232	0.167	0.138	0.099	−0.058	0.333
	Three cars and more (N = 133)	2.28	0.742	0.064
					Sum of Squares	df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Age Range	18–25 years (N = 91)	2.33	0.716	0.075	0.613	2	0.306	0.537	0.585	2.18	2.48
	26–39 years (N = 108)	2.38	0.745	0.072						2.24	2.52
	40–60 years (N = 35)	2.23	0.877	0.148						1.93	2.53
Monthly Income	Less than 500 KD (N = 86)	2.28	0.746	0.080	1.420	3	0.473	0.831	0.478	2.12	2.44
	500–999 KD (N = 55)	2.29	0.762	0.103						2.08	2.50
	1000–1499 KD (N = 55)	2.47	0.716	0.097						2.28	2.67
	1500 KD and above (N = 38)	2.34	0.815	0.132						2.07	2.61
Employment	Self-employed and Family-owned (N = 22)	2.00	0.816	0.174	3.134	3	1.045	1.860	0.137	1.64	2.36
	Private sector (N = 72)	2.43	0.709	0.084						2.26	2.60
	Public sector (N = 85)	2.34	0.780	0.085						2.17	2.51
	Unemployed (N = 55)	2.35	0.726	0.098						2.15	2.54

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