Examining individuals preferences for hybrid electric and alternatively fuelled vehicles

This paper examines individuals motivations when purchasing vehicles, focusing upon what factors would encourage individuals to purchase hybrid electrical vehicle (HEV) or alternatively fuelled vehicle (AFV). AFVs in this paper refer to any cars run on alternatives to petrol and diesel. This research attempts to ascertain whether reductions in fuel costs, vehicle registration tax (VRT), or green house gas emissions would encourage individuals to purchase a HEV or an AFV instead of a conventional vehicle. VRT is an Irish tax that is levied on the purchase of new vehicles. One of the motivations to conduct this research was to examine a new car tax and VRT scheme introduced by the Irish government in 2008. This new policy rewards the purchase of environmentally friendly cars, with lower VRT and car tax rates. To understand individuals’ perceptions of these new taxes a survey was sent to recent customers of a car company in Ireland. The survey asked respondents about their recently purchased vehicle and how important they considered vehicle attributes such as environmental performance, fuel cost, and safety, before making their car purchase. The survey also contained a number of stated preference experiments that were designed to ascertain what factors influence individuals’ decisions when purchasing their new car. The results showed that respondents did not rate green house gas emissions or VRT as crucial attributes when purchasing a new vehicle. The vehicle attributes that respondents rated most highly were reliability, automobile safety, fuel costs, and the cost price. The majority of respondents agreed that HEVs and AFVs are better for the environment, cheaper to run than conventional vehicles and would be the vehicle of choice in ten years time.     

Local distribution and collection for environmental and social sustainability – tricycles in central Beijing

Goods distribution is a growing proportion of intra-urban transport worldwide due to changes in supply chains and e-commerce, yet has received scant attention in research. Cities have opted for a regulatory approach to truck movement and deliveries at a local level but few have tried to develop a systematic approach to management. Following certain suggestions in the literature, a hierarchical deliveries approach is being adopted in some new developments in Europe and Australia using light vehicles at the local level. In East, South and South-East Asia, where 3-wheeled non-motorised vehicles have been a mainstay of goods and people transport for several decades, they are under renewed pressure from city governments. This study of the tricycle in Beijing examines their role for packages delivery, food and beverage distribution and waste and recycling services, which covers nearly all of the uses of utilitarian tricycles in northern Chinese cities. Drivers (n = 97) were interviewed, their usual trips were mapped, and the subsequent trip was recorded using a geo-positioning system. These trips were compared with trips executed by small, motorised vans, favoured since 2014 by Beijing government. Operations can be divided into four categories according to delivery chain organisation, field operations and vehicle type. Motorised alternatives to the tricycle are shown to be uncompetitive in terms of time, cost and energy efficiency. This first detailed examination of the operations of the tricycle in a Chinese city provides a useful base for consideration of local distribution services organisation and a possible model for cities outside China.     

Industry convergence in rural tourism development: a China-featured term or a new initiative?

ABSTRACT

Industry convergence is a popular term that has been widely referenced in the context of rural tourism development in China. All levels of government (local, regional, national) in China have repeatedly addressed the significance of industry convergence in their tourism plans and related policies. Despite its popularity, limited studies at present have explored this concept in-depth. Using Huai’an as a case, this study applied a path analysis and reported the industry convergence process in a destination. The findings of this study can provide both theoretical and practical implications that are useful for tourism planners and policy makers.     

Strategic policies and demonstration program of electric vehicle in China

Recent Chinese economic and energy policies recognize the transportation sector as a key element in the nation's effort to meet its energy and air quality goals. The development of alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) has been considered as a particularly promising strategy. AFV-related policies can be traced back to the eighth Five-Year Plan period (i.e., 1991-1995). All the work during the last twenty years has cumulatively prompted the transition of AFV development from policy-making to actual implementation and from research and development (R&D) to mass production. The year of 2009 is significant for the AFV industry in China in that the central government announced the “Plan on Shaping and Revitalizing the Auto Industry”. This Plan launched a demonstration program of electric vehicle (EV) deployment in 13 Chinese cities and set the national goal of manufacturing 0.5 million AFVs in three years. To better understand the current status, problems and uncertainties existed in the EV deployment in China, this paper reviewed the relevant policies and reported a survey with the pilot cities during the summer of 2009. Based on the survey findings, this paper developed a number of recommendations to help address the issues found in the demonstration program to date.     

Driverless vehicles' potential influence on bicyclist facility preferences

Research in the field of autonomous vehicle technology focuses on its enhanced safety and convenience for vehicle occupants. The present paper seeks to establish a line of inquiry that addresses the implications of autonomous vehicle technology for nonmotorized road users, in the present case, bicyclists. Studies show that motorized traffic volume and speed affect nonmotorized agents' behavior and facility preference, but the degree to which this will apply to a driverless environment requires further study. We developed a stated-preference survey that had respondents select their preferred facility in a variety of hypothetical scenarios with and without the presence of driverless vehicles and on street types of varying motorized traffic volumes and speeds. A Random Parameters Logit Model is estimated to analyze the links between facility preferences, sociodemographics, street types, and the existence of driverless vehicles. The model results suggest that increases in motorized traffic volumes and speeds correlate with a greater preference for separated facilities. The presence of driverless vehicles amplifies this preference. Controlling for other factors, under driverless vehicle conditions, the odds of selecting protected facilities, such as buffered bicycle lanes and cycle tracks, were more than double the odds found under current conditions. We conclude with recommendations for infrastructure and policy and suggestions for future research in this nascent field of study.     

论政府对现代物流发展的干预

在指出我国现代物流发展中存在政府职能缺失问题的基础上,结合西方国家政府干预现代物流发展的经验,提出了我国现代物流的发展在建立中国特色的物流管理体制;制定现代物流总体发展规划;营造有利于物流业发展的环境;发挥物流协会等中介组织的作用;推动我国物流业的信息化和标准化等方面需要政府适度有效的干预。     

The impact of highway safety regulation enforcement activities on motor vehicle fatalities

This paper analyzes the influence of highway safety regulation enforcement efforts on motor vehicle fatalities. It estimates a regression model in which such deaths depend on these efforts as well as economic conditions, driver characteristics, government regulations, and locational factors, using 1973–2000 annual Ohio data. Statistically significant results indicate that the enforcement measure of drunk driving arrests saves lives. They also suggest that highway deaths increase with the following: better economic conditions, greater alcohol consumption, larger proportions of young and old drivers, higher speed limits, and more driving on rural roads. The trend in deaths is downward.     

Productivity efficiency analysis of the airlines in China after deregulation

Using data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist productivity index, this paper studies productivity efficiency of various airlines in China after the Chinese government deregulated the aviation industry in 2005. The results show that the productivity efficiency of non-state-owned airlines improves rapidly and eventually exceeds state-owned airlines after the deregulation policy. Among the state-owned airlines, the productivity of the local airlines and their technical changes are better than those of the central airlines.     

Comparison of major air freight network hubs in the U.S. and China

The increase in global economic connectivity spurred by ties between Chinese manufacturing and a global market, particularly in high value low weight goods, pushed establishment of air cargo networks. These remain under-examined but impactful particularly for second and third tier metropolitan hub cities. This research looks at the air freight connections within China, a major rapidly developing trade center, and use of the aerotropolis concept to accelerate growth in the lagging inland region. References are made to FedEx and UPS networks within their U.S. headquarter region and in China to note differences in political economic contexts and China’s adaptation of developed world models. The theoretical framework includes global production networks strategically coupled by transport logistics linked to aerotropolis type development. Data comes from government aviation and transportation sources, research analyses, corporate and industry reports, and interviews with Chinese officials. Focus falls particularly on Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province in central China and the country’s first airport-centered economic zone. The conclusion finds that Chinese hub cities more closely correspond to major manufacturing and population centers and central policy directives for development dispersion.     

The unpredicted rise of motorcycles: A cost benefit analysis

This article examines the consequences, for Paris, of the increase in two-wheel motor vehicle (2WMV) traffic (measured in vehicle/km). Our study reveals that, between 2000 and 2007, the subway's (Métro) share in total inner-Paris travel increased by 13.6%, the RER's share by 10.3% and the SNCF's share by 20.5%. These three means of transport account for 58% of daily travel. On the other hand, the bus share has decreased by 16% and that of cars by 23.7%. Private motor vehicles represent 37.3% of total travel. Looking at road traffic, where public transport (buses) and private motor transport compete for the use of limited road space, private motor vehicles account for 91.5% and public transport 8.5% of total travel.The 2WMV share in Paris traffic increased by 36% between 2000 and 2007, with 2WMVs now accounting for a share twice as large as that of buses. A survey has shown that 100 million additional passenger kilometres were made by 2WMV in 2007 compared to 2000. 53% of this increase comes from people shifting to 2WMV from public transport and 26.5% from private cars. The remaining 20% is attributable to the increased use of 2WMVs by those already owning such vehicles in 2000.Is the growth in the share of 2WMV traffic in Paris beneficial to the community? This shift in the means of transport generates time savings of €293 million and increases owners' vehicle usage costs by €49 million. The cost of accidents is increased by €49 million and the negative consequences in terms of pollution are estimated at €22.6 million. The welfare impact of the government revenue change is negative and equal to €4.7 million. In total, the gain for the community is therefore around €168 million. Accident costs are the key issue. The fact that there are on average 21 2WMV fatalities in Paris (average 2006–2007) for a means of transport accounting for 16% of passenger/km made every day in Paris offers a striking contrast to the 6 (average 2006–2007) fatalities concerning cyclists which account for a mere 0.1% of trips. The massive shift to 2WMV has taken place without any public policy support. Public policy could easily further improve the 2WMV cost-benefit balance by taking measures that would decrease the number of accidents.     

Heterogeneous preferences of green vehicles by vehicle size: Analysis of Seoul case

Although there are several policies for promoting green vehicles, green vehicles have yet to penetrate the market to the extent desired. To attain the goal, a complete understanding of consumers’ preferences of green vehicles is essential. This paper proposes and specifies the fuel-type choice models among conventional gasoline vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and electric vehicles by vehicle size using the stated preferences data collected in Seoul, Korea. The results highlight the need to accommodate the correlation between similar alternatives and the unobserved heterogeneity within the context of choosing a green vehicle. The choice probabilities of green vehicles are affected by the relative impacts of the vehicles’ attributes and socio-demographic variables, and both of these variables are affected by the sizes of the vehicles. For compact size and mid-size vehicles, the effects of operating costs were less than those of purchase prices; however, for the subcompact vehicles, the effects of operating cost were greater than those of purchase price. The parameter of operating costs was not statistically significant in the full-size model. With respect to electric vehicles, the availability of fuel stations would be more important in Seoul than in the U.S. These results can also be useful for policy makers in that they provide information about the impact of green vehicles’ attributes on the choice probabilities of green vehicles.     

Developing Rural Tourism: the PAT Program and ‘Nong jia le’ Tourism in China

Despite the fact that the last three decades have witnessed the rapid development of rural tourism (RT) in China, which is being promoted by the Chinese government as an important new type of tourism due to its special role in revitalizing China's rural economy, there is still little knowledge about the economic impacts of RT on Chinese rural communities in terms of socio‐economic development and regeneration. Accordingly, this study represents an attempt to address this issue by examining the Poverty Alleviation through Tourism program and ‘Nong jia le’ (Happy Farmer Home) tourism within the Chinese context. The findings not only confirm the widely held importance of RT, as expected, but also identify the problems and challenges relating to the sustainable development of RT in the future. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Battery electric vehicles in cities: Measurement of some impacts on traffic and government revenue recovery

We are told that electric vehicles, cars in particular, will be good for the environment. But what exactly might this mean? It is true that end use emissions will be significantly reduced when we move from fossil fuels to green energy sources? Assuming that the demand for such cars, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in particular will grow, we can expect a significant number of such vehicles manufactured in future years. Given the potentially relatively lower cost (fewer moving parts) compared to internal combustion engine vehicles as well as the significantly lower usage costs per kilometre, we would expect a level of uptake that could impact on the performance of the road network (perhaps increased congestion and crash risk) but also a concomitant reduced use of public transport and fuel excise loss. In this paper, we apply the MetroScan modelling system in the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area (GSMA) over the period 2021–2056 to identify the likely impact that the growth in BEV ownership and use will have on vehicle kilometres, modal shares, government revenues, levels of CO₂ emissions and other impacts. Moreover, we investigate the introduction of a BEV usage charge proposed in Australia to see what it might do to these key performance indicators and whether it can offset the adverse effects during BEV uptake such as government fuel excise revenue loss and increased congestion.     

Shared autonomous vehicles and their potential impacts on household vehicle ownership: An exploratory empirical assessment

Emerging transportation technologies have the potential to significantly reshape the transportation systems and household vehicle ownership. Key among these transportation technologies are the autonomous vehicles, particularly when introduced in shared vehicle fleets. In this paper, we focus on the potential impact that fleets of shared autonomous vehicles might have on household vehicle ownership. To obtain initial insights into this issue, we asked a sample of university personnel and members of the American Automobile Association as to how likely they would consider relinquishing one of their household's personal vehicles if shared autonomous vehicles were available (thus reducing their household vehicle ownership level by one). For single-vehicle households, this would be relinquishing their only vehicle, and for multivehicle households (households owning two or more vehicles) this would be relinquishing just one of their vehicles. Possible responses to the question about relinquishing a household vehicle if shared autonomous vehicles are present are: extremely unlikely, unlikely, unsure, likely, and extremely likely. To determine the factors that influence this response, random parameters ordered probit models are estimated to account for the likelihood that considerable unobserved heterogeneity is likely to be present in the data. The findings show that a wide range of socioeconomic factors affects people's likelihood of vehicle relinquishment in the presence of shared autonomous vehicles. Key among these are gender effects, generational elements, commuting patterns, and respondents' vehicle crash history and experiences. While people's opinions of shared autonomous vehicles are evolving with the continual introduction of new autonomous vehicle technologies and shifting travel behavior, the results of this study provide important initial insights into the likely effects of shared autonomous vehicles on household vehicle ownership.     

Analysis of greenhouse gas emissions of freight transport sector in China

Due to the increasing commercial activities in China, the rapid growth of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the freight transport sector has alarmed the Chinese central government. However, there is a lack of standard measure for evaluating GHG emissions generated from freight transport operations. To improve this situation, Chinese policy makers need to evaluate GHG emissions for energy saving and pollution reduction. This background leads us to examine the GHG emission trajectories and features of Chinese freight transport patterns in the last decade, i.e. between 2000 and 2011. In this study, we examine different regions’ freight turnover and energy consumption by various transport modes (i.e. railway, highway, waterway, aircraft, and oil pipeline) in China. Our results show that the total amount of GHG emissions caused by the Chinese freight transport sector reached 978 million tons in 2011, indicating an average annual growth of 74 million tons CO₂e for the last decade. Shandong, Anhui, and Henan are the main provinces producing GHG emissions, representing 11.7%, 10.3%, and 10% of total emissions generated from the freight transport sector in China, respectively. This study also compares the regional GHG emissions from different freight transport modes including railway, highway, waterway, air transport, and oil pipeline. Based on the findings, policy implications are provided on how to mitigate freight transport emissions among different Chinese regions.     

Application of system dynamics for evaluating truck weight regulations

In the situation of prevailing overweight transportation and difficult enforcement in China, this paper develops a methodological framework for truck weight regulation evaluation using System Dynamics. Composed of five interrelated subsystems, the framework is able to capture the highway, vehicle and freight variables that influence the effect of TWR and transportation efficiency over time. It specifically describes the development and use of the Truck Weight Regulation Evaluating Model for the highway freight system in Anhui province, China. The simulation results show that, among three policy alternatives, the moderate policy approach is the most appropriate option to solve the social and economic problems arising from overweight transportation in Anhui. In addition, some suggestions of TWR policy in China are also made in this paper.     

Where no cars go: Free-floating carshare and inequality of access

Carsharing programs have demonstrated a potential to significantly shift incentives with regard to private vehicle ownership. The advent of free-floating vehicle fleets has enabled providers to offer ubiquitous vehicle access in designated urban areas. The ability of users to choose where to drop off vehicles presents the possibility that the density of available vehicles in particular areas will be insufficient to supply a reasonable level of service to local residents. The current paper will use exclusive data on vehicle location from a free-floating carshare service that operates in ten U.S. cities. Analysis will relate the availability of vehicles to census tract demographics. Results show vehicles cluster in tracts that are disproportionately populated by residents who are educated, young, employed, and white. Carshare systems have received significant in-kind incentives from government to operate. The mobility benefits of free-floating carshare systems appear to accrue disproportionately to advantaged populations.     

Rethinking the spatiality of Nordic electric vehicles and their popularity in urban environments: Moving beyond the city?

With a global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) slowly gaining traction, it is expedient to move the debate to issues connected to geography, space, and place. One of these emerging issues is the uptake of EVs in rural areas. This paper provides a spatial state of affairs in the Nordic region and it explores how EVs are perceived and argued to fit within rural-suburban-urban categories by users and potential adopters. To do so, it draws on a mix of original and secondary data: (1) a randomized survey among 4322 respondents, (2) 227 expert interviews, (3) eight focus groups conducted across Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, and (4) geographically mapped municipal level vehicle registrations across Norway and Sweden. This data shows that while the uptake primarily takes place in (sub)urban regions, EVs are used in rural environments, partly for self-sufficiency reasons. After acknowledging that individual choices and circumstances dictate final purchase decisions, the paper concludes that planners and researchers should be aware off and, if possible, prevent that a skewed urbanized popularity keeps people elsewhere from looking at EVs as a viable option.     

Shaping carpool policies under rapid motorization: the case of Chinese cities

Rapid motorization and fuel cost hike over the past few years have made carpool a new mode of travel in Chinese cities. But transportation policy makers have been rather ambivalent, if not indifferent, about carpool. Unlike cities in highly motorized societies, little is known about carpooling behavior in emerging economies such as China. This paper provides an initial discussion of carpooling in China by exploring a series of questions. What are the current practice and issues of carpool in Chinese cities? How do carpools in China compare with those in the motorized Western cities? Can carpools help Chinese cities mitigate the negative impacts of rapid motorization? Are foreign policies such as High-Occupancy-Vehicle (HOV) lanes transferable to China? Acknowledging the social benefits of voluntary carpooling, this paper argues: (1) bus lanes may be a better choice than HOV lanes when converting general motor vehicle lanes; (2) policies subsidizing carpoolers cannot be justified on either efficiency or equity grounds because a marginal carpooler is more likely transitioning from a transit user or non-motorized traveler than from a driver. Policy suggestions are proposed to Chinese decision makers.     

Profiling road transport activity: Emissions from 2000 to 2005 in Ireland using national car test data

This work describes a methodology for determining the average vehicle kilometres travelled by the private national car fleet in Ireland and estimating the disaggregated CO₂ and NO_x emissions from private vehicles in the Irish road transport sector for the period 2000–2005 using national car test records. The developed methodology facilitates the calculation of greatly improved estimates for vehicle kilometres under a range of constraint variables and thereby enables the disaggregated analysis of specific vehicle fleet groups and their associated activity patterns to support evidence-based policy development. The results indicate that while older vehicles are contributing significantly to car NO_x emissions; newer cars produce a higher share of CO₂ emissions than older cars in the vehicle fleet.