Electric Vehicle Ownership Factors and Commuting Behavior in the United States: Environmental Attributes of Electric Vehicle Ownership and Commuting Behavior in Maryland: Public Policy and Equity Considerations

2018Final, October 2014-August 2018PDFTech ReportDTRT13-G-UTC33Automobile ownershipCommutersCommutingConsumer preferencesDemographicsElectric vehiclesEquity (Justice)Mode choicePublic policyRecommendationsRegression analysisSurveysTravel behaviorEV ownershipEV adoptioncommuting behaviorattitudes toward EVEV spatial analysisMarylandUnited StatesMid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability University Transportation CenterFarkas, AndrewShin, Hyeon-ShicNickkar, AmirrezaMorgan State UniversityUnited States. Department of Transportation. Office of the SecretaryMid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability University Transportation CenterUS Transportation CollectionThis research investigated the socio-demographic attributes that contribute to electric vehicle (EV) ownership and EV owners\u2019 commuting behavior based on different types of developed human settlements such as city, suburb, and rural area. EVs still are pricier than comparable internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). The objective of this study was to suggest public policies and recommendations to decision makers to prompt EV ownership equitably by identifying socio-demographic factors that influence the purchasing/leasing decision. The State of Maryland promotes EV ownership by subsidizing EV purchases and deploying charging facilities at transit rail stations. The other objective was to determine mode choice by EV owner commuters. An online survey of EV (non-fleets) owners registered in Maryland was conducted from July 1, 2016, to August 19, 2016. In total, 1,257 EV owners completed the survey. After assessing data quality, the survey data were tabulated and visualized to observe general trends that helped construct appropriate hypotheses and statistical models. Multinomial logistic regression models (MNL) were constructed to examine the associations between EV owner characteristics and their reasons for purchasing/leasing the EV. The findings revealed five key points. First, socioeconomic attributes such as age, education, income, household size, marital status, number of vehicles in a household, and political affiliation significantly affected EV owners\u2019 preference when making purchasing/leasing decisions. Second, environmental concerns were the main reason for purchasing and driving an EV; vehicle price was the third most important factor. Third, very few EV owners used rail transit for the commute to work prior to EV purchase, and even fewer after purchase. Fourth, EV owners who had longer commuting trips were more concerned about price and operating costs and efficiency and performance of the EV than those with shorter commuting trips. Fifth, some significant similarities and differences are found in the travel patterns of both EV and ICEV owners.80