Assessing the importance of car meanings and attitudes in consumer evaluations of electric vehicles

This paper reports findings from a research study which assesses the importance of attitudinal constructs related to general car attitudes and the meanings attached to car ownership over evaluations of electric vehicles (EVs). The data are assessed using principal component analysis to evaluate the structure of the underlying attitudinal constructs. The identified constructs are then entered into a hierarchical regression analysis which uses either positive or negative evaluations of the instrumental capabilities of EVs as the dependent variable. Results show that attitudinal constructs offer additional predictive power over socioeconomic characteristics and that the symbolic and emotive meanings of car ownership are as, if not more, effective in explaining the assessment of EV instrumental capability as compared to issues of cost and environmental concern. Additionally, the more important an individual considers their car to be in their everyday life, the more negative their evaluations are of EVs whilst individuals who claim to be knowledgeable about cars in general and EVs in particular have a lower propensity for negative EV attitudes. However, positive and negative EV attitudes are related to different attitudinal constructs suggesting that it is possible for someone to hold both negative and positive assessments at the same time

Risks and drivers of hybrid car adoption: A cross-cultural segmentation analysis

Throughout the developed world, consumers are increasingly being encouraged to adopt cleaner, more eco-friendly behaviours. However, hybrid car adoption remains low, which impedes the move towards a lower carbon economy. In this paper, we examine the risks and drivers of hybrid car purchases, drawing on consumer behaviour and cultural dimensions theory to account for the heterogeneous, segmented nature of the market. As risk perceptions differ across cultures, and in order to address the lack of cross cultural research on eco-friendly cars, we focus on Australian, South Korean, and Japanese consumers. Based on a survey of 817 respondents we examine how five types of risk (social, psychological, time, financial, and network externalities) and three factors that drive purchasing behaviour (product advantages, product attractiveness, and product superiority) influence consumers perceptions of hybrid cars. Four segments of consumers are identified (pessimists, realists, optimists, and casualists) that also vary according to their environmental selfimage, and underlying cultural values. Our results extend theory by incorporating self-image and cultural dimension theories into a multi-country analysis of the risks and drivers of hybrid car adoption. Our findings have practical implications in terms of marketing strategies and potential policy interventions aimed at mitigating risk perceptions and promoting the factors that drive hybrid car adoption

Transportation and the Environment: Essays on Technology, Infrastructure, and Policy

With soaring oil prices and growing concerns for global warming, there is increasing interest in the environmental performance of transportation systems. This dissertation contributes to this growing literature through three independent yet related projects essays that deal with transportation technology, infrastructure, and policy.My first essay analyzes the increasing interest for hybrid cars by Californians based on a statewide phone survey conducted in July of 2004 by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) using discrete choice models. Results suggest that the possibility for single drivers to use hybrid vehicles in HOV lanes is more important than short term concerns for air pollution, support for energy efficiency policies, long term concerns for global warming, education, and income. This suggests that programs designed to improve the environmental performance of individual vehicles need to rely on tangible benefits for drivers; to make a difference, they cannot rely on environmental beliefs alone.The second essay is concerned with assessments of Travel Demand Management (TDM) policies, which have been used to deal with congestion, air pollution, and now global warming. I compare two TDM programs: Rule 2202 (the on-road motor vehicle mitigation options in southern California) and the Commute Trip Reduction Program (CTR) in Washington State. My results show that after 2002, the impacts of Rule 2202 are mixed. Commuters’ modal choices are affected by worksite characteristics but only two (out of six) basic strategies affect the change in average vehicle ridership (AVR). Moreover, the level of subsidies appears to play an important role in commuting behavior. In Washington State, location has an impact on AVR and combinations of location and employee duties influence the single occupancy vehicle index. Details of the CTR and its relative success suggest that there is room for improving Rule 2202 by making it friendlier to businesses and more effective.Finally, I examine the health impacts of NOx (nitrogen oxides) and PM (particulate matter) generated by trains moving freight through the Alameda Corridor to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. After estimating baseline emissions for 2005, I examine two scenarios: in the first one, I assume that all long-haul and switching locomotives are upgraded to Tier 2 (from Tier 1); in the second scenario, all Tier 2 locomotives operating in the study area are replaced with cleaner, Tier 3 locomotives. I find that mortality from PM exposure accounts for the largest component of health impacts, with 2005 annual costs from excess mortality in excess of $40 million. A shift to Tier 2 locomotives would save approximately half of these costs while the benefits of shifting from Tier 2 to Tier 3 locomotives would be much smaller. To my knowledge, this is the first comprehensive assessment of the health impacts of freight train transportation in a busy freight corridor

Why are Californians interested in hybrid cars?

This paper explores quantitatively Californians' interest in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) based on a statewide phone survey conducted in July 2004 by the Public Policy Institute of California. The paper develops ordered choice models and factors that summarise beliefs about energy and the environment using principal component analysis. As expected, Californians concerned about the environment, energy efficiency, global warming and recent increases in the price of gasoline state a higher interest in hybrids; an even more important reason for considering hybrid electric vehicles, however, is the possibility of using high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes while driving alone, especially for people with potentially long commutes to work. The findings also suggest that beliefs about energy and the environment should be included in vehicle type choice models.preferences, hybrid electric vehicles, HOV lanes, principal components, heteroskedastic ordered logit, choice model,

An Analysis of PM and NOx Train Emissions in the Alameda Corridor, CA.

The Alameda corridor provides a crucial rail link for moving freight in and out of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, also known as the San Pedro Bay Ports (SPBP). While the benefits of this trade are enjoyed by the whole nation, the associated air pollution costs are born mostly by the people who live in the vicinity of the Alameda corridor and the two freeways (the I-710 and the I-110) that serve the Ports. Although they are more energy efficient than trucks, trains contribute heavily to regional air pollution; in addition, rail traffic in the South Coast Air Basin is projected to almost double in the next twenty years. This paper presents an analysis of the emissions and the dispersion of PM and NOx emitted by train operations in and around the Alameda corridor. We find spatial and temporal variations in the dispersion of these pollutants, which justifies our approach. Moreover, the railyards in our study area are responsible for the bulk of PM and NOx emissions (compared to line haul operations). While PM emissions from train operations contribute only a fraction of the recommended maximum concentration, NOx emissions go over recommended guidelines in different areas. The affected population is mostly Latino or African American. Our approach is also useful for better understanding trade-offs between truck and rail freight transport

A Preliminary Analysis of the Environmental Impacts of the Clean Truck Program in the Alameda Corridor, CA

The San Pedro Bay Ports (SPBP) of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Southern California is one of the largest port container complexes in the world, and the largest one is the United States. To decrease the air pollution associated with port operations, a number of measures have been adopted, including the Clean Trucks Program, which was introduced in 2008 to clean up the fleet of drayage trucks serving the SPBP. The objective of this paper is to quantify the reduction in emissions attributable to the Clean Trucks Program, with a focus on Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM2.5). Our approach is innovative as it relies on micro-simulation to capture the link between congestion and pollutant emissions. We find that the Clean Trucks Program could contribute significantly to the emissions of NOx (~27%) and PM2.5 (~25%) for all the freeway traffic in our study area. These preliminary results suggest that the Clean Trucks Program is promising, but its cost-effectiveness should be analyzed

An Analysis of PM and NOx Train Emissions in the Alameda Corridor, CA

The Alameda corridor provides a crucial rail link for moving freight in and out of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, also known as the San Pedro Bay Ports (SPBP). While the benefits of this trade are enjoyed by the whole nation, the associated air pollution costs are born mostly by the people who live in the vicinity of the Alameda corridor and the two freeways (the I-710 and the I-110) that serve the Ports. Although they are more energy efficient than trucks, trains contribute heavily to regional air pollution; in addition, rail traffic in the South Coast Air Basin is projected to almost double in the next twenty years. This paper presents an analysis of the emissions and the dispersion of PM and NOx emitted by train operations in and around the Alameda corridor. We find spatial and temporal variations in the dispersion of these pollutants, which justifies our approach. Moreover, the railyards in our study area are responsible for the bulk of PM and NOx emissions (compared to line haul operations). While PM emissions from train operations contribute only a fraction of the recommended maximum concentration, NOx emissions go over recommended guidelines in different areas. The affected population is mostly Latino or African American. Our approach is also useful for better understanding trade-offs between truck and rail freight transport