7 April 2026
“Most previous studies have focused on things like policies, infrastructure, and new technology - much less attention has been given to how the features of a product itself can act as a signal to consumers"
Dr Shajara Ul-Durar
With transport being a major driver of climate change, University of Sunderland researchers have been exploring how the eco‑friendly features of electric vehicles (EVs) can influence how people think about environmental issues.
Dr Shajara Ul-Durar and Professor Nadja Damij, from the University’s Faculty of Business and Technology, have been working alongside researchers in China, Jordan and Australia on a two-and-a-half-year study investigating the relationship between EV manufacturers’ sales and market performance, and consumers’ interest in climate change.
Detailed data included 67,757 EV model-year observations from the Chinese market from 2018 to 2022.
The study highlights, firstly, how eco-friendly features, for example, how far an EV can go without charging, can show consumers that a manufacturer not only cares about the environment but is good at making new technology.
Secondly, it examines how these features can help people care more about climate change; when products are better for the planet, they can make people feel more interested in and more thoughtful about climate issues.
And thirdly, the study explores how caring more can lead to better sales – if people feel more connected to climate issues, they may be more likely to buy eco-friendly products, which helps the companies sell more.
Dr Ul-Durar, Senior Lecturer in Management and Leadership at the University of Sunderland and PRME Working Group on Climate Change and Environment, Lead for Carbon and Climate Literacy (Pakistan), said: “Climate change has been identified as one of the biggest challenges the world is facing today, and one of the contributors is transportation.
“EVs have been identified as one of the solutions, although there has been a lack of understanding regarding the impact of the distinct features of electric vehicles on the issue of climate change.
“Most previous studies have focused on things like policies, infrastructure, and new technology - much less attention has been given to how the features of a product itself can act as a signal to consumers. This matters because product characteristics can help explain why people say they care about climate change but don’t always choose sustainable options – a gap between what they say and what they do.
“Our research aims to fill this gap by looking at how product features influence consumer behaviour, helping us understand how to better encourage sustainable choices in a competitive and fast‑growing market.”
Findings show that the driving range of EVs positively influences consumers’ climate engagement. The study also suggests that consumers’ climate engagement is positively associated with EV sales in the local market. Read the full study here.
Professor Damij, Professor in Business and Management at the University of Sunderland, said: “To truly understand and address global challenges like climate change, technology must be embedded at the very heart of interdisciplinary research.
“By bridging data-driven insights with behavioural sciences and business innovation, we can uncover not just how sustainable technologies work—but how they can inspire meaningful change in societies and markets alike.”
The study - Can sustainable technology features of products stimulate market performance? The perspective of consumer engagement in climate change - has been published by the Journal of Business Research.
Other researchers on the study on are:
Dr Yumeng Luo – First author and Assistant Professor at the School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, China.
Dr Saleh Bazi – Associate Professor of Digital Marketing in the Marketing Department at Yarmouk University, Jordan.
Dr Marco De Sisto – Associate Professor in the School of Management at RMIT University (Australia) and a member of the Centre for Organisations and Social Change (COSC).