Electric Vehicles

Advancing Road User Charge (RUC) Models in California: Understanding Social Equity and Travel Behavior Impacts

Lazarus, Jessica
Broader, Jacquelyn
Cohen, Adam
Bayen, Alexander, PhD
Shaheen, Susan, PhD
2022

The State of California is currently moving forward with a road usage charge (RUC) demonstration program, creating promising research opportunities to examine the potential social equity implications of a shift from a gas tax to a RUC system in California. RUC . To this aim, this study investigates the relative burden of gas taxes and mileage-based RUC across various sociodemographic and geographic dimensions by examining key trends in road use, vehicle ownership, fuel consumption, use of RUC-related technologies, and attitudes/opinions related to RUC adoption. Expert interviews were...

Advanced Air Mobility Community Integration Considerations Playbook

Cohen, Adam
Hasan, Shahab
Mendonca, Nancy L.
Wulff, Yolanka
2023

Aviation is undergoing rapid change due to advancements in technology, new business models, changing consumer preferences, and other trends. These trends are poised to change the way people travel by air. Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a broad concept focusing on leveraging these trends to include routine aviation mobility in urban, suburban, and rural communities. NASA envisions AAM as safe, sustainable, accessible, and affordable aviation for transformational local and intraregional missions. But it’s worth noting that this vision, AAM associated terms, and even the definition of AAM...

Urban Air Mobility Market Study

Reiche, Colleen PhD
Goyal, Rohit
Cohen, Adam
Serrao, Jaqueline
Kimmel, Shawn, PhD
Fernando, Chris
Shaheen, Susan, PhD
2018

The Booz Allen Team explored market size and potential barriers to Urban Air Mobility (UAM) by focusing on three potential markets – Airport Shuttle, Air Taxi, and Air Ambulance. We found that the Airport Shuttle and Air Taxi markets are viable, with a significant total available market value in the U.S. of $500 billion, for a fully unconstrained scenario. In this unconstrained best-case scenario, passengers would have the ability to access and fly a UAM at any time, from any location to any destination, without being hindered by constraints such as weather, infrastructure, or traffic...

Exploring Electric Vehicle Carsharing As A Mobility Option for Older Adults: A Case Study of A Senior Adult Community in The San Francisco Bay Area

Shaheen, Susan, PhD
Cano, Lauren
Camel, Madonna
2015

By the year 2030, 57 million people will be over the age of 65 in the United States. Baby Boomers drive approximately 17% more than other age groups and are active well past retirement. This paper examines electric vehicle (EV) carsharing (short-term vehicle access) as a future alternative to vehicle ownership for older adults living on fixed incomes in a gated community to provide reduced cost mobility and eliminate vehicle maintenance hassles. The authors conducted a study of the response to the EV carsharing concept in a senior community in Northern California, between Winter 2009 and...

Bicycle Evolution in China: From the 1900s to the Present

Zhang, Hua
Shaheen, Susan, PhD
Chen, Xingpeng
2013

This article examines four phases in bicycle evolution in China from initial entry and slow growth (1900s to 1978), to rapid growth (1978 to 1995), bicycle use reduction (1995 to 2002), and policy diversification (2002 to present). Two bicycle innovations, electric bikes, and public bikesharing (the shared use of a bicycle fleet), are also explored in this article. Electric bikes could provide a transitional mode on the pathway to bicycle and public transportation integration or to small battery electric cars. Four lessons have been learned from China’s electric bike experience relevant to...

Do Incentives Make a Difference? Understanding Smart Charging Program Adoption for Electric Vehicles

Wong, Steven D.
Shaheen, Susan A.
Martin, Elliot PhD
Uyeki, Robert
2023

Climate change and environmental problems have spurred new strategies to reduce fossil fuel consumption in transportation. Two important strategies include a rapid transition to green energy and the replacement of internal combustion vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs). However, the increasing demand for electricity by EVs, especially from time-dependent green sources of energy (e.g., solar, wind), will likely overload the grid at peak hours. Rather than build costly infrastructure improvements for distribution and generation, smart charging programs for EVs could defer charging to off-...

Zero-emission vehicle exposure within U.S. carsharing fleets and impacts on sentiment toward electric-drive vehicles

Shaheen, Susan
Martin, Elliot
Totte, Hannah
2020

Reducing carbon emissions from the United States (U.S.) transportation sector has emerged as a priority action to combat climate change. Carsharing and zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) could be integral to creating a more sustainable transportation system. This paper presents the results of a study that evaluated the impacts of ZEV exposure on U.S. carsharing users. Surveys were administered to control and experimental groups of carsharing members that used shared PHEVs or EVs. Results showed that users who drove shared PHEVs or EVs more frequently were more likely to exhibit improved ZEV...

Economic Assessment of Electric-Drive Vehicle Operation in California and Other U.S. Regions

Lidicker, Jeffrey R.
Lipman, Timothy E.
Shaheen, Susan A.
2010

This study examines the relative economics of electric vehicle operation in the context of current electricity rates in specific utility service territories. The authors examined 14 utility territories offering electric vehicle (EV) rates, focusing on California but also including other regions of theUnited States. The consumer costs of EV charging were examined in comparison with gasoline price data, geographic location, and during three highly variable gasoline price periods of July 2008, January 2009, and July 2009. In a switch from a conventional 23 mile per gallon (10.2liters/100...

Shared Ride Services in North America: Definitions, Impacts, and the Future of Pooling

Shaheen, Susan
Cohen, Adam
2018

Shared ride services allow riders to share a ride to a common destination. They include ridesharing (carpooling and vanpooling); ridesplitting (a pooled version of ridesourcing/transportation network companies); taxi sharing; and microtransit. In recent years, growth of Internet-enabled wireless technologies, global satellite systems, and cloud computing - coupled with data sharing – are causing people to increase their use of mobile applications to share a ride. Some shared ride services, such as carpooling and vanpooling, can provide transportation, infrastructure, environmental...

Carsharing's Impact and Future

Shaheen, Susan
Cohen, Adam
Farrar, Emily
2019

Carsharing provides members access to a fleet of autos for short-term use throughout the day, reducing the need for one or more personal vehicles. This chapter reviews key terms and definitions for carsharing, common carsharing business models, and existing impact studies. Next, the chapter discusses the commodification and aggregation of mobility services and the role of Mobility on Demand (MOD) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) on carsharing. Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion of how the convergence of electrification and automation is changing carsharing, leading to shared...