INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS IN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR BIAS TOWARD VEHICLES OF PARTICULAR CHARACTERISTICS. FINAL REPORT

This report is required by Section 13(a) of the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1976 (PL94-413). It presents the evaluation of a number of institutional factors related to taxes, regulations, traffic behavior and control, urban characteristics, electrical supply, Federal policies, and auto-industry structure in terms of their potential for the creation of bias in surface transportation systems toward vehicles of particular characteristics. The major societal institutions of the United States clearly reflect a transportation-oriented society in which the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle predominates. Institutions appropriate to conventional vehicles, however, may create biases against alternative vehicle systems with significantly different characteristics. This study presents an analysis of such institutional biases and their influence on U.S. surface transportation systems. Its primary focus is on biases for or against electric and hybrid vehicles as compared with conventional ICE vehicles. To perform the analysis, an analytical structure and methodology were developed to define and evaluate institutional factors and their potential impact on particular vehicle characteristics. (ERA citation 03:018590)

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• Record URL:
  https://ntl.bts.gov/lib/61000/61100/61106/EC-77-A-31-1043.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142

  Department of Energy

  1000 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20585
• Publication Date: 1977-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 424 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Automobile industry; Automobiles; Bias (Statistics); Costs; Economic impacts; Electric vehicles; Evaluation; Hybrid automobiles; Hybrid vehicles; Internal combustion engines; Life cycle analysis; Organizations; Ownership; Policy; Production; Recommendations; Regulations; Reviews; Social impacts; Taxation; Taxes; Traffic control; Transportation; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Comparative analysis; Institutions; Transportation systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Government policies; Uses
• Subject Areas: Economics; Law; Operations and Traffic Management; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General); Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00180605
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Files: NTL, TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 19 1978 12:00AM