Beyond Early Adopters of Plug-in Electric Vehicles? Evidence from Fleet and Household Users in Indianapolis

The second decade of the 21st century has seen the advancement of alternative fuels in transport, particularly the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV). Most of the developed countries in the world, along with China, have made significant investments in PEVs and related technology and instituted near-term targets for achieving 10-15% of domestic market share. This is occurring despite significant uncertainty the ability of PEVs to appeal to consumers. Currently in the U.S., 0.5% of vehicles purchased are PEVs and these “early adopters” may serve as opinion leaders and have disproportionate influence on the technology. However, they are likely different from other consumers in meaningful ways: early adopters are generally wealthier, more educated, more comfortable with technology, and have a stronger environmental attitude. Thus, the utility of a PEV for an early adopter may not reflect that for the rest of society. In this paper the authors examine and compare two groups of PEV drivers: The first consists of early adopters, who purchased a PEV for themselves or family. The second group consists of fleet drivers, i.e. individuals who drive a PEV for work. They have not purchased a PEV and are therefore are not early adopters. The authors conduct descriptive and empirical analysis using a unique dataset of 76 PEV owners in Indianapolis, Indiana. The results indicate use of PEVs in a fleet capacity may provide some mobility enhancement and that fleet arrangements have the potential to provide a gateway for PEVs toward the general consumer market for automobiles.

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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC80 Alternative Transportation Fuels and Technologies. Alternate title: Beyond Early Adopters of Plug-in Electric Vehicles: Evidence from Fleet and Household Users in Indianapolis
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Lane, Bradley W
  • Sherman, Colin P
  • Sperl, Jon
  • Krause, Rachel M
  • Carley, Sanya
  • Graham, John D
• 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; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Consumer preferences; Electric vehicles; Market surveys; Plug-in hybrid vehicles; Public opinion
• Geographic Terms: Indianapolis (Indiana)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01506498
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-3290
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 4 2014 9:13AM