Consumer attitudes about electric cars: Pricing analysis and policy implications

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more readily available, sales will depend on consumers’ interest and understanding. A survey of consumer attitudes on electric cars was conducted in Manitoba from late 2011 to early 2012. It utilizes two price assessment methods. The van Westendorp price sensitivity method (PSM) shows the acceptable price range for EVs to be $22,000–27,500. This range closely matches average price range for sales of conventional cars during the same period. The willingness-to-pay method reveals consumers are unwilling to pay large premiums for EVs, even when given information on future fuel savings. A consumer group with experience or exposure to EVs is somewhat different. Nearly 25% of these people are willing to pay a premium of up to $10,000. Different interpretations can be drawn from these responses, calling for further research. An apparent policy opportunity involves consumer education to enhance knowledge and facilitate EV purchase decisions. Survey results also support the hypothesis that EV rollout has focused too much on technology, and not enough on consumers.     

Risk aversion,regret aversion and travel choice inertia: an experimental study

This paper presents the results of an experimental study into the role of risk aversion and regret aversion as codeterminants of travel choice inertia. Theoretical results published by Chorus and Dellaert are tested empirically. More specifically, the expectation is tested that when (1) travelers are risk averse, (2) the quality of travel choices is uncertain, and (3) the quality is partially revealed upon usage, travel choice inertia emerges as a learning-based lock-in effect. In addition, this paper studies the role of regret aversion as a possible trigger of travel choice inertia. Analyses are based on data collected in an experiment, where the reward that participants obtain is a function of the outcome of choices they make. Empirical results suggest that the learning-based lock-in effect indeed plays a role in the context of our data. The evidence for the hypothesis that regret aversion triggers inertia is mixed at best.     

考虑消费者扶贫偏好的扶贫农产品引入策略研究

虽然我国完成了消除绝对贫困的艰巨任务,但相对贫困的地区依然存在,并且伴随着规模不经济、农户难以融入大市场等问题,建立扶贫品牌可以有效帮助贫困农户增收。因此,本文考虑了消费者的扶贫偏好,对来自贫困地区农产品(扶贫农产品)引入市场后的市场竞争进行探究后发现,(1)扶贫农产品的低价策略不会降低普通农产品的批发价格和零售价格,有利于市场稳定,但引入扶贫农产品总是有从普通农产品的市场中获取销量的趋势,零售商可以通过调整价格策略来增加整体市场覆盖率。(2)固定引入成本与规模不经济现象为扶贫农产品的引入设置了障碍。(3)扶贫偏好型消费者比例对普通农户产生影响,它们的溢价支付意愿对贫困农户产生影响,当这两个参数都达到一定水平时,零售商会主动引入扶贫农产品并采用高价策略。最后给出了立足于政府、企业和农民三个角度的管理学启示,旨在鼓励社会各方积极参与品牌扶贫。     

The role of charging and refuelling infrastructure in supporting zero-emission vehicle sales

Widespread uptake of battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (collectively zero-emissions vehicles or ZEVs) could help many regions achieve deep greenhouse gas mitigation goals. Using the case of Canada, this study investigates the extent to which increasing ZEV charging and refuelling availability may boost ZEV sales relative to other ZEV-supportive policies. We adapt a version of the Respondent-based Preferences and Constraints (REPAC) model using 2017 survey data from 1884 Canadian new vehicle-buyers to simulate the sales impacts of increasing electric vehicle charging access at home, work, public destinations, and on highways, as well as increasing hydrogen refuelling station access. REPAC is built from a stated preference choice model and represents constraints in supply and consumer awareness, as well as dynamics in ZEV policy out to 2030. Results suggest that new ZEV market share from 2020 to 2030 does not substantially benefit from increased infrastructure. Even when electric charging and hydrogen refuelling access are simulated to reach “universally” available levels by 2030, ZEV sales do not rise by more than 1.5 percentage points above the baseline trajectory. On the other hand, REPAC simulates ZEV market share rising as high as 30% by 2030 with strong ZEV-supportive policies, even without the addition of charging or refuelling infrastructure. These findings stem from low consumer valuation of infrastructure found in the stated preference model. Results suggest that achieving ambitious ZEV sale targets requires a comprehensive suite of policies beyond a focus on charging and refueling infrastructure.     

新能源汽车消费者充电行为习惯及配套设施使用现状分析

文章主要研究新能源汽车消费者充电习惯和行为特征,并探索不同城市级别、不同意识形态和不同充电设施消费者充电行为差异性。通过分析和对比,挖掘不同新能源汽车消费者充电特点,以及在充电过程中的主要困难和不便,一方面为新能源汽车企业了解消费者充电行为提供参考,另一方面为充电设施的完善和改进提供方向。此外,在分析消费者充电现状的同时,还进一步了解其对充电配套设施的需求和期望,为未来充电设施布局指明方向。     

Incorporating refuelling behaviour and drivers’ preferences in the design of alternative fuels infrastructure in a city

The purpose of this article is to present an optimization model to plan the deployment strategy for hydrogen refuelling stations in a city when Origin–Destination (OD) data are not available. This model considers two objectives: to maximize the traffic covered by the selected hydrogen refuelling stations and minimize the average distance of the city’s inhabitants to the nearest hydrogen refuelling station. As OD data are assumed to be unavailable, the clustering of stations in the highest traffic zones is prevented by a new constraint that takes into account information on the distribution of existing conventional refuelling stations. This model is applied to Seville, a city in Southern Spain of about 140 km² with a population of around 700,000. This application uses the results of a survey of more than 200 Sevillian drivers on their current refuelling tendencies, their willingness to use alternative fuel vehicles and their minimum requirements (regarding maximum distance to be travelled to refuel and number of stations in the city) when establishing a network of alternative refuelling stations.     

融合手机信令数据的轨道交通出行分担率模型研究

交通行为模型广泛应用于城市出行需求分析等领域.传统行为模型的参数设置通常依赖经验判断,模型预测精度缺乏大样本验证手段.本文以重庆市解放碑-观音桥组团通道出行行为为研究对象,融合手机信令数据、AFC数据和问卷调查数据,构建随机参数分别为正态分布、均匀分布和γ分布的混合Logit模型,将手机信令数据与AFC数据分析结果作为...     

Measuring the equity effects of a carbon charge on car commuters: A case study of Manchester Airport

This papers attempts to quantify the equity effect of a hypothesized economic instrument, a carbon charge on car commuters, for reducing carbon dioxide emissions produced by commuters on airport surface access. Manchester Airport is taken as a case study using staff Survey data from 2008 and 2010. Consumer welfare change is analysed for measuring the equity effects of carbon charge by user group, which considers the changes of travel mode choice, the carbon dioxide emissions reduction, the revenue from a carbon charge and how it is distributed. First, the individual carbon footprint in terms of gram passenger kilometre, and the damage cost of carbon by commuters on airport surface access are estimated. Next, the impact of carbon charge on travel behaviour is investigated by the nested logit model. Finally, the net effect of carbon charges is assessed by travel mode user, gender, job type, and age group. The results show some impacts of the carbon charge on car users and carbon reduction, and the positive effects on lower income group and less carbon commuters. The quantified results provide the evidences for the mitigation policies to combine monetary incentives with disincentives for travel behaviour change, and demonstrate the different equity effects among commuter groups.     

State-dependent congestion pricing with reference-dependent preferences

Demand and capacity fluctuations are common for roads and other congestible facilities. With ongoing advances in pricing technology and ways of communicating information to prospective users, state-dependent congestion pricing is becoming practical. But it is still rare or nonexistent in many potential applications. One explanation is that people dislike uncertainty about how much they will pay. To explore this idea, a model of reference-dependent preferences is developed based on Köszegi and Rabin (2006). Using a facility yields an “intrinsic” utility and a “gain-loss” utility measured relative to the probability distribution over states of utility outcomes. Two types of preferences are analyzed: bundled preferences in which gains and losses are perceived for overall utility, and unbundled preferences in which gains and losses are perceived separately for the toll and other determinants of utility.Tolls are chosen to maximize total expected utility plus revenues. With bundled preferences the toll is set above the Pigouvian level when usage conditions are good, and below it when conditions are bad, in order to reduce fluctuations in utility. With unbundled preferences the direction of toll adjustment is less clear and depends on whether supply or demand is variable. For both types of preferences tolls are sensitive to the strength of gain-loss utility. If gain-loss utility is moderately strong, a state-independent toll can be optimal.     

Is awareness of public charging associated with consumer interest in plug-in electric vehicles?

Policymakers often seek to increase the visibility of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) chargers in public locations in effort to build familiarity and interest in PEVs. However, it is not clear if the visibility of public charging stations actually has an impact on PEV demand. The purposes of the present study are to (1) assess the current levels of visibility for public PEV charging infrastructure within Canada and (2) identify whether or not a statistically significant relationship exists between consumer awareness of public charging infrastructure and interest in purchasing a PEV. We use data collected from a sample of 1739 Canadian new-vehicle buyers in 2013. About 18% of Canadian respondents have seen at least one public charger, while the proportion is highest in British Columbia (31%). We find a significant bivariate relationship between public charger awareness and PEV interest. However, when controlling for multiple explanatory variables in regression analyses, the relationship is weak or non-existent. While perceived existence of at least one charger exhibits no significant relationship with PEV interest, perceived existence of multiple chargers can have a weak but significant relationship. Thus, public charger awareness is not a strong predictor of PEV interest; other variables are more important, such as the availability of level 1 (110/120-volt) charging at home.