An Analysis of Attributes of Electric Vehicle Owners' Travel and Purchasing Behavior: The Case of Maryland

摘要

An emerging technology in transportation, electric vehicles (EVs) decrease reliance on pollutant fuels and bring numerous environmental benefits. The current research investigated the socio-demographic attributes that may contribute to EV ownership and owners' purchasing behavior. The goal of this study is providing public policies and recommendations to decision makers to prompt equitable EV usage by identifying influencing socio-demographic attributes of EV purchasing behavior. This study surveyed registered plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV) owners in Maryland from May 28, 2015, to February 19, 2016. In total, 1,257 EV owners in Maryland completed usable surveys. A set of statistical analysis methods was employed to analyze the data. Researchers constructed a multinomial logistic model (MNL) to examine the associations between EV owner characteristics and their reasons for purchasing/leasing the EV, and an analysis of variance test (ANOVA) was carried out to explore possible relationships between EV owners' travel behavior and their socio-demographic features. Findings suggest that, first, age, education, income, household size, number of vehicles in the household, marital status, and political affiliation play a significant role in preferences attributes of participants for purchasing/leasing an EV. Second, environmental issues are the main reason for purchasing/leasing EVs, but the EV owners who had longer commutes were more concerned about the price and status of the EV owner and efficiency and performance than were those with shorter commutes. Third, EV owners who are older and more educated, drive less than other groups.