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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (19 results)

  • Article
Policy Briefs (2022)
Electrifying ridehailing services provided by transportation network companies (TNCs) can reduce climate-altering emissions and air pollution and provide cost savings on fuel and maintenance to TNC drivers. Policy levers have emerged to nudge the industry in this direction. California’s Senate Bill 1014 establishes a “clean miles standard” requiring an increasing percentage of ride-hailing services be provided by zero-emissions vehicles such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs)—together referred to as plug-in vehicles (PEVs). This can be achieved by increasing the number of TNC drivers using BEVs and PHEVs, and by increasing the electric miles PHEV drivers travel.
    Cover page: Electrifying Ridehailing: Drivers’ Charging Practices and Electric Vehicle Characteristics Predict the Intensity of Electric Vehicle Use
    • Article
    Recent Work (2000)

    This report describes employee travel in Yosemite National Park. More specifically, it describes the travel undertaken by employees as it relates to their roles as employees. Thus, commuting to work, personal stops made in conjunction with commute trips, trips made to complete work-related responsibilities, and personal trips made during a work shift are addressed. Travel undertaken by employees-as-private citizens, for example, travel on their days off and trips made after returning home at the end of workday, are not addressed. In addition to work-related travel this report provides a description of employees, their home and work locations and work hours, and opinions of potential alternative commute modes.

    The primary data source is a survey of employees. The timeframe was the summer of 1999. Employees of Yosemite Concession Services Corporation were surveyed in August; employees of the Park Service and of the “park partners” were surveyed in September. The park partners include the Yosemite Association, Yosemite Institute, U.S. Post Office, U.S. District Court, The Ansel Adams Gallery, and the medical/dental clinic.

      Cover page: Employee Travel in Yosemite National Park
      • Article
      Recent Work (2004)
        Cover page: Automobile Buyer Decisions about Fuel Economy and Fuel Efficiency
        • Article
        Research Reports (2010)
        In this report, the authors propose a dual-transportation network and community that would accommodate the preferences for auto-mobility and single-family homes,yet also offer much safer and cleaner, more pleasant and more socially integrated environment than what is commonly proposed in transportation and land use plans. A city with two universally accessible but completely separate and independent transportation networks is proposed. One network is for low-speed lightweight modes (LLMs) and the other is for fast-moving heavy vehicles (FHSVs). The authors review the economics and advantages of such a design, as well as the impacts on transportation problems. They conclude with a discussion regarding the social,political, and consumer factors determining the success of the proposed design.
          Cover page: How We Can Have Safe, Clean, Convenient, Affordable, Pleasant Transportation Without Making People Drive Less or Give Up Suburban Living
          • Article
          Policy Briefs (2022)
          Electrifying ridehailing services provided by transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and provide cost savings on fuel and maintenance to TNC drivers. Policy levers have emerged to nudge the industry in this direction. California’s Senate Bill 1014 establishes a “clean miles standard” requiring that an increasing percentage of ridehailing services be provided by zero-emissions vehicles such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs)—together referred to as plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Because TNC drivers operate their personal vehicles, government and industry must accelerate PEV adoption among TNC drivers to achieve this goal.
            Cover page: Electrifying Ridehailing: Characteristics and Experiences of Transportation Network Company Drivers Who Adopted Electric Vehicles Ahead of the Curve
            • Article
            Policy Briefs (2022)
            Electrifying ridehailing services provided by transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution) and provide cost savings on fuel and maintenance to TNC drivers. Policy levers have emerged to nudge the industry in this direction. California’s Senate Bill 1014 establishes a “Clean Miles Standard” requiring that an increasing percentage of ridehailing services be provided by zero-emissions vehicles. However, the path to achieving this goal is unclear. This brief is the last in a series on TNC electrification. It presents a research agenda identified by government and industry stakeholders, articulating what they believe are the most important questions to address to find the path to TNC electrification. This brief also highlights which perceived research needs are shared broadly and which differ across government and industry stakeholders. The aim is to facilitate a shared understanding for better research, policy, and business practices.
              Cover page: Electrifying Ridehailing: A Cross-Sector Research Agenda
              • Article
              Policy Briefs (2022)
              Electrifying ridehailing services provided by transportation network companies (TNCs) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution while providing fuel and maintenance cost savings to TNC drivers. Policy levers have emerged to nudge the industry in this direction. California’s Senate Bill 1014 establishes a “clean miles standard” requiring an increasing percentage of ride-hailing services be provided by zero-emissions vehicles, such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs)—together referred to as plug-in vehicles (PEVs). In spring 2019, researchers at UC Davis surveyed 732 TNC drivers in the US who already use a PEV, to understand their use and charging of their PEV. This is the second in a series of briefs highlighting the results of the survey. There is limited understanding of how drivers’ charging practices affect the potential benefits of electrifying TNCs. This research identifies segments of TNC-PEV drivers based on their vehicle charging practices (i.e., location, level, and time of day) to inform infrastructure planning.
                Cover page: Electrifying Ridehailing: Segmenting Transportation Network Company Drivers Based on Their Electric Vehicle Charging Practices
                • Article
                • Peer Reviewed
                UC Davis Previously Published Works (2020)
                Electrification of transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, present possible paths to increased social benefits from reduced vehicle emissions and enhanced implementation of renewable electricity as well as private benefits to drivers via reduced vehicle fuel and maintenance costs compared to conventional vehicles. We conducted a survey of plug-in vehicles (PEV) drivers on the Uber platform in the US. This paper describes these drivers’ and their experiences driving PEVs on TNCs to further our understanding of barriers to PEV adoption among TNC drivers and identify strategies to promote further adoption.  
                  Cover page: Characteristics and experiences of ride-hailing drivers with plug-in electric vehicles
                  • Article
                  Research Reports (2020)
                  Electrification of transportation network companies (TNCs; e.g., Uber and Lyft) presents a path for reduced emissions as well as potential benefits to drivers via reduced costs for fueling and vehicle maintenance. This report describes 732 TNC PEV drivers in the United States in terms of their demographic characteristics, motivations for driving PEVs on TNCs, charging patterns, and ideas to improve the experience of driving PEVs on TNCs. Greater understanding of these early adopters can inform strategies to promote further adoption. The economic benefits of fuel and maintenance savings associated with PEVs featured in drivers’ reported motivations for PEV adoption. Most BEV and PHEV drivers reported charging their PEV every day, most often at home and overnight, and most were willing to charge once or more while actively driving on TNCs. A large cluster of TNC PEV drivers reported predominately using public DC fast charging, indicating a heavy reliance on public charging infrastructure. Range limitations topped the list of reasons why PHEV drivers did not opt for a BEV, and increased range topped the list of PEV drivers’ wishes to better support PEVs on TNCs. The next most common wish was for more charger locations. The third and fourth ranked wishes were financial bonuses for trip targets and more pre-trip information, which are more exclusively under the control of TNCs.
                    Cover page: Characteristics and Experiences of Ride-Hailing Drivers with Plug-in Electric Vehicles
                    • Article
                    Recent Work (2006)

                    This report provides an introduction to semiotics: the study of symbols and symbol systems. In particular, the report focuses on the symbolic meaning of automobiles, and explores why this meaning is important to consumers. Section 1 defines what a symbol is, identifies the types of symbols, and discusses how consumer goods (such as automobiles) can serve as symbols. Section 2 investigates how individuals use the meaning in their automobiles to form and maintain their self-identities. Several theoretical approaches (including conspicuous consumption, self-congruity theory, and symbolic interactionism) are examined and contrasted with a more comprehensive approach, called products as self-creation, which is based on the theories of Anthony Giddens, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Eugene Rochberg-Halton, and Grant McCracken. Section 3 explores how automobiles acquire their meaning, and how this meaning is transferred to the consumer. Finally, Section 4 examines how consumers evaluate the benefits from symbolic meaning relative to other types benefits vehicles provide, such as mobility. This report concludes that symbols matter in vehicle purchases, and that the adoption of new types of vehicles (including hybrid-electric and fuel-cell vehicles) depends partly on the symbolic value these vehicles deliver to buyers.

                      Cover page: A Primer on Automobile Semiotics
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