A spatio-temporal approach to electric vehicle uptake: Evidence from New Zealand
Publication Name
Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
Abstract
Electrification of transportation is an important option to reduce fossil fuels consumption and carbon emissions. However, electric vehicles (EVs) comprise less than 1.2% of New Zealand's light vehicle fleet, and there are significant hurdles to limit EV uptake. This study uses spatial negative binomial regression models to estimate spatio-temporal factors that influence consumers’ purchase decisions. Two hypotheses are tested: (1) if charging infrastructure has a “neighbourhood effect” on EV uptake; (2) if EVs adoption by technology enthusiasts during the early-adopter phase affects subsequent adoption once the technology becomes widely spread. Results show that charging infrastructure in neighbouring areas and early adoption positively affect subsequent technology adoption. Robustness analysis suggests that the distance spatial weights matrices outperformed other types of alternatives in this study may represent the boundaries of a convenience threshold that drivers perceive when they get their EVs. Thus, policy initiatives aiming to increase the electrification of transport should consider the likelihood of early adoption and the spatial proximity of charging infrastructure.
Open Access Status
This publication is not available as open access
Volume
105
Article Number
103256
Funding Number
3714101
Funding Sponsor
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment