Financing the Global Shift to Electric Mobility

Abstract

Using comprehensive auto loan data, we identify a gap in financing terms between Electric Vehicles (EVs) and non-EVs. EVs, compared to their non-electric counterparts in the same make-model or make-model-power category, are financed with higher interest rates, lower loan-to-value ratios, and shorter loan durations. The primary driver of this financing gap is the risk associated with EVs. The rapid and uncertain progress in EV-specific technologies accelerates obsolescence, reducing EVs’ resale value and thus increasing the cost associated with loans for these vehicles. Factors such as car buyers’ willingness to pay, socioeconomic characteristics, government incentives for EVs, lenders’ market power, and macroeconomic conditions play minimal roles in explaining the higher cost of EV loans. Our findings highlight that technological carbon-transition risk is priced in financing terms of green durable assets consumption.

Presented by Jan Bena