Unveiling public perceptions of battery technology in autonomous vehicles via topic modeling of news articles.

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have gained a substantial attention for their transformative potential, with prior research predominantly focusing on end-user perceptions and autonomous functions. In contrast, other critical factors-such as component technologies and sociotechnical concerns-have received relatively limited attention. To address this gap, we employ a state-of-the-art topic modeling approach to empirically investigate the multifaceted public perceptions of AVs, with particular emphasis on battery technologies as an enabling component. Using BERTopic, we analyze 11,708 news articles on AVs published between 2002 and 2021, retrieved from the ProQuest ABI/INFORM database. Among the 45 publicly discussed issues identified, we categorize them into six dimensions based on the sociotechnical regime framework. A focused analysis of battery-related content reveals 15 recurrent themes, which are further classified into three dimensions. As discussed in prior research, issues such as safety and technical performance remain central in public perceptions. We further revealed the infrastructural and institutional concerns being publicly discussed. These results, recognizing the publicly perceived sociotechnical factors, underscore the importance of considering both technological and non-technological factors in the public perception of AVs and suggest new directions for future research and policymaking.