National Center for Sustainable Transportation

To meet zero-emission vehicle targets, people will have to adopt electric vehicles and convert their entire fleets. In the United States and California, most households own two or more vehicles; most of these households will need to switch their traditional vehicles for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). However, most of the research on PEV adoption has focused on people acquiring their first PEV. This work is the first to examine households’ decision to maintain at least two PEVs in their household fleets. Utilizing a multi-year survey of PEV adopters between 2012 and 2020, 3,039 respondents who acquired a vehicle after obtaining an initial PEV are identified. Respondents are divided in two groups: those who reverted to an internal combustion engine vehicle (Single PEV) and those who added an additional PEV (Multi PEV). Modelling the groups using binary logistic regression, several factors that differentiate Single from Multi PEV households are identified. Compared to Single PEV, Multi PEV households are more likely to have owned previous PEVs, live in detached single-family homes with solar, own an SUV prior to their initial PEV, purchase a Tesla for their initial PEV, and use the initial PEV for commuting. 

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