Diffusion Theory: Driving Electric

 Diffusion Theory tries to explain how, why, and the rate at which things like ideas and technology are spread and adopted. There are are four stages of this theory: exploratory, uptake/ascent, saturation, and maturation. In the exploratory stage, the pioneers or innovators are creating the new idea or technology. In the uptake and ascent stage, the innovators and pioneers have spread the ideas to more people, and the idea or technology has started to gain popularity. Between the ascent stage and the next stage, saturation, we see the tipping point. The tipping point is where the majority of people have adopted the idea or technology into their own lives. The saturation stage shows that even more people have adopted the idea or technology even after the initial increase of popularity of the idea. The final stage of the Diffusion Theory is maturation. This is where the people who lagged behind, the laggards, begin to adopt the idea and technology after it has been further developed and the penetration of the idea or technology in society has already peaked. This information can be views graphically in the drawing below.

There are also factors that affect the stages of the Diffusion Theory. These factors are the mix of rural to urban population, the society's level of education, and the extent of industrialization and development. Each society has a different rate of adoption based on these factors and more. When you think about rural areas, you are safe to assume that ideals are linked to tradition. When something new interferes with traditions, there is hesitation for adoption. 

In order to fully explain the Diffusion Theory, lets talk about how the innovation of Electric Vehicles have impacted society. Tesla Inc. was founded in 2003 but took off in 2008 as Elon Musk took over as CEO. Electric cars were not popular. There was a major stigma about the people who chose to drive electric or hybrid vehicles. I remember when my family bought a Honda Prius Hybrid around 2010. My brother had to drive himself and my sister to their high school everyday. Pardon my language, but I remember him coming home one day frustrated because somebody called him a 'pussy' for driving a Prius. Obviously, my parents weren't aware of this and didn't care. It was a car that was getting him from A to B and saved him a lot of money on gas. He was grateful for this, but the stigma did not just affect him. Electric vehicles were also viewed as low performance vehicles that weren't reliable. Range Anxiety is a major factor that cause people to adopt this type of product late or never at all. Range Anxiety is the fear that an electric vehicle will run out of battery and leave you stranded in the middle of your trip. 

Elon Musk has taken charge to make the world drive electric vehicles. According to J.P. Morgan, 38% of the sales in United States are projected to drive electric by 2025. Elon Musk, my brother/parents, and many others who started driving electric/hybrid vehicles early are considered the innovators of the Diffusion Theory stages. If 38% of the US is supposed to be driving electric by 2024, these people would be apart of the ascension stage of the Diffusion Theory. Once about 50% of the US drives electric, the tipping point would be reached. Anybody after who adopts driving electric into their lives would be considered a part of the saturation stage. Once a majority of people are driving electric, anyone still driving gas would be the laggards who are holding on to what they are used to. 

Diffusion Theory is an interesting thing to think about. Whenever something new comes out and becomes popular, its likely that we are a part of the early majority or late adopters and in the saturation stages. We help make the product popular by buying into it when people start to give good reviews. I want to be a part of the innovators. I don't know exactly what I want to innovate or pioneer, but I want to be somebody who sets a trend or industry standard. Innovators/Pioneers of anything have a significant impact on society. They may not be well-known, but what attracts me to being a pioneer is that you help people without them even knowing who provided the product for them. I want to make an impact silently.