From the Top of the Organization to the Bottom Line: Understanding the Fleet Market for Plug-in Electric Vehicles

Government and commercial fleets are widely targeted as an ideal market for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). However, the reasons are often based on misconceptions regarding past purchases behavior and misunderstood operational considerations. PEVs do have attributes that are valued by organizations, as learned from drivers, fleet managers and company decision makers who had the opportunity to drive a PHEV for more than a year. In this paper the authors discuss how the perceived value of the PHEV varied depending on the employee’s responsibilities and role in the organization. They also report on the primary concerns expressed by the project participants regarding the purchase and use of PEVs. These findings provide a better understanding of fleet vehicle purchase priorities and operational considerations that could affect development of the PEV fleet market. Given the varying importance assigned to different PEV attributes by employees throughout the organizational structure, the authors propose that PEV marketing campaigns look beyond the one individual tasked with purchasing vehicles. A more effective, robust market strategy requires targeting several people within an organization.

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC80 Alternative Transportation Fuels and Technologies.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Nesbitt, Kevin
  • Davies, Jamie
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Demonstration projects; Electric vehicles; Fleet management; Market assessment; Organizational factors; Plug-in hybrid vehicles; Vehicle fleets
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I90: Vehicles;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01506418
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-5046
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 3 2014 9:19AM