Plug-In Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center

Results from this report highlight how alternative fuel vehicles are used based on data collected between 2015 and 2020. Alternative fuel vehicles include plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), vehicles that are either battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). This category of vehicle technologies is included in the California Air Resources Board’s Zero Emission Vehicle regulations and is referred to as ZEV in this report. We explore the environmental impacts of driving, charging behavior and infrastructure. In households with ZEVs, the data from surveys, loggers, and interviews indicate that those vehicles are being used extensively. This report, which combined the data collected in two consecutive studies between 2015-2020, includes first and second generation PEVs popular in California between 2011-2018. The BEVs include the first-generation, shortrange Nissan Leaf and the long range BEVs such as the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model S. The PHEVs include short range sedans such as the Toyota Prius Plug-in and longer-range vehicles such as the Toyota Prius Prime, Chevrolet Volt and Chrysler Pacifica. The FCVs include the most popular fuel cell vehicle, the Toyota Mirai.