Drivers of Partially Automated Vehicles are Making More Trips and Traveling Longer Distances

Consumers are purchasing and using partially automated vehicles, yet little research has been conducted to understand how and if these vehicles are changing travel behavior. Fully automated, or driverless, vehicles are receiving much more research and policy attention but are still many years from market introduction. Research on fully automated vehicles has shown that, without proper policies in place, these vehicles could increase vehicle miles travelled (VMT). Tesla vehicle models with the ‘Autopilot’ feature are some of the most common partially automated vehicles on the road today. A partially automated vehicle provides advanced driver assistance by controlling steering, acceleration/ deceleration, and braking; however, the human driver is still considered to be in control of the vehicle and is expected to be attentive. A previous UC Davis study found that Tesla vehicle owners with the Autopilot feature drove more than those without Autopilot, but the study did not determine whether higher VMT was caused by Autopilot. To better understand whether Autopilot influences how much individuals drive, the UC Davis research team interviewed 36 Tesla Autopilot users to evaluate whether they experienced changes to their travel, and the reasons for any reported changes. Key findings from the interviews are presented in this brief

Travel Behavior Changes Among Users of Partially Automated Vehicles

Partially automated battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are being sold to and used by consumers. Estimates indicate that as of the end of 2019, there were over 700,000 Partially Automated Tesla Vehicles—the subject of this study—on the roads globally. Despite this, little research has been done to understand how they may be changing travel behavior. In this study, qualitative interviews with 36 users of Tesla BEVs with Autopilot were conducted. The goal of this was to understand how Autopilot is used, user experiences of the system, and whether the system has any impact on drivers’ travel behavior. The focus of the last of these aims was to determine whether Autopilot could cause or was causing an increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) among the study participants. Results from the interviews showed that partial automation leads to consumers travelling by car more and being more willing to drive in congested traffic. These changes are due to increased comfort, reduced stress, and increased relaxation due to the partial automation system, and because of the lower running costs of a BEV. The results also point to a need for further research of partially automated vehicles that are already on the market, as 11 of 17 reasons for increased VMT that have been identified in modeling studies of fully automated vehicles (not yet commercially available) applied to users of Autopilot

Understanding the Early Adopters of Fuel Cell Vehicles

In this study, the author presents results from a survey of 906 FCV and 12,910 BEV households in California. They investigated the sociodemographic profile of FCV buyers and compare them to BEV households. FCV and BEV households are similar in many areas. There is no significant difference in household income, number of people in the household, number of vehicles in the household, gender, or level of education. However, FCV and BEV households do differ in some key areas. Compared to BEV households, FCV households are slightly older; less own their own home; more live in an apartment, condo, or townhouse; they have owned more alternative fuel vehicles previously (but fewer BEVs); they have higher VMT; and slightly longer commutes. These differences may explain why these households choose to adopt a FCV. As fewer FCV households own their home, and more live in multi-unit dwellings they may have more barriers to accessing recharging from home, which may be why they selected a FCV rather than a BEV. Their slightly longer commutes and higher VMT may mean they perceive FCVs to be a better fit with their household’s travel patterns, though their commutes are well within the range of a BEV.View the NCST Project Webpag

Approaches for Autonomous Vehicles in Civil Airspace: Giving Sight to the Blind

The growing prevalence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) brings great potential for public benefit, but in order to fly in civil airspace UAVs must avoid traffic without the benefit of an onboard human. Developing this capability presents many system integration challenges. This report examines the integration of automated detect, see, and avoid (DSA) systems on aircraft. For context, the need for UAV operations is reviewed. The report then examines how DSA fits into the entire framework for aviation safety. The research, test results, and conclusions that follow provide the necessary information to decide: • how to test and evaluate new DSA technology; • what is the necessary performance for installed DSA systems; • what is currently available and what possibilities are in development. Finally, after surveying available technologies, recommendations are given for some specific UAV platforms and missions. This report would be useful for persons engaged in DSA development, acquisition, or testing. It is applicable for all small aircraft because future advances may make DSA technology feasible for the entire aviation community. The emphasis, however, is on enabling safe UAV operation world-wide

Cars and Chargers in the Country: Rural PEV Owner Accounts of Charging and Travel in California

Under the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rule, California must move to 100% zero emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by 2035. Tomake this transition equitable, it is important to understand how we can support ZEV adoption in all communities–including rural communities. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences and perceptions of current rural plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) owners, identify barriers to charging and ownership, and suggest factors to guide the development of infrastructure in rural areas. (PEVs include battery-electric vehicles [BEVs] and plug-in hybrid vehicles.) Semi-structured interviews were conducted with rural PEV owners and included questions related to travel behavior, at-home and public charging experiences, and motivation for household vehicle purchase. Major themes were extracted from the interviews including that PHEV owners tend to have minimal at-home and public charging requirements, while BEV owners require access to Level 2 charging at home and reliable fast charging in public spaces. Additionally, the magnitude of public charging reliability and availability issues appear to be greater in rural than non-rural areas. Grid reliability issues and specific vehicle requirements were also points of discussion among rural PEV owners. The findings of this report could inform policy makers, car manufacturers, and PEV charging companies to better serve rural communities in the transition to 100% PEV sales

Consumer adoption of fuel cell vehicles: lessons from historical innovations and early adopters of battery electric vehicles

Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), are one possible solution to address transportation-related climate change, urban air pollution and fossil fuel resource depletion. To solve these issues they need to displace internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), the aim of this thesis is to understand whether FCVs can achieve this. First case studies of successful historical innovations are explored. Second the consumer adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is studied in detail by using questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews. Finally, consumer attitudes and perceptions towards FCVs are investigated by conducting in-depth interviews and a FCV trial. From all of these results this thesis finds that FCVs have fewer benefits as perceived by consumers compared to BEVs and ICEVs. This means that consumers may preferentially adopt BEVs and will not be attracted to FCVs. This thesis makes recommendations on how to improve the attributes of FCVs so that they have more benefits for consumers. These efforts would increase the likelihood of consumers adopting FCVs. However, this thesis suggests that the adoption of FCVs still looks unlikely and that fuel cell (FC) stakeholders should seek to concentrate their efforts towards applications of FCs that have viable market entry potential

An Examination of the Impact That Electric Vehicle Incentives Have on Consumer Purchase Decisions Over Time

We investigate the impacts of a combination of incentives on the purchase decisions of electric vehicle (EV) buyers in California from 2010 through 2017. We employ a comprehensive survey on over 14,000 purchasers of EVs in California. The survey covers a range of purchase intentions, general demographics, and the importance of various incentives. Our results indicate that the most important incentives for plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) owners are the federal tax credit, the state rebate, and HOV lane access. In addition, the importance of the incentives and their associated effect on purchase behaviour has been changing over time: respondents are more likely to change their decisions and to not buy a vehicle at all as time passes and the technology moves away from early adopters