An Agent-Based Model to Simulate the Diffusion of New Energy Vehicles

This paper demonstrates the use of an agent-based model (ABM) to study the mechanism of social influence in the diffusion of new energy vehicles. We introduce the “consumat” cognition model so that agents with different need satisfaction thresholds have different cognitive processes. In addition, supported by survey data, our study considers more characteristics of opinion leaders, such as innovative behavior, lower sensitivity to price influence, and a better ability to judge the product quality. Through the primary group and control group experiments, the simulations demonstrated that the opinion leaders play a significant role in the spread of information and the percentage of product adoption. The results indicate that targeting opinion leaders will be a valuable marketing strategy for new energy vehicles. It also provides some advice for assessing policies that promote sustainable behaviors.