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http://hdl.handle.net/11375/23895
Title: | UNDERSTANDING THE PREFERENCES AND SUITABILITY OF CONSUMERS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION IN CANADA |
Authors: | Abotalebi, Elnaz |
Advisor: | Scott, Darren |
Department: | Geography and Earth Sciences |
Publication Date: | 2019 |
Abstract: | In Canada, road transportation accounts for more than one-fourth of secondary energy use, and thus is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Environment Canada, 2016). With around 81% of Canadian households having at least one vehicle, the automobile is an important element of household mobility, while the transportation sector relies heavily on petroleum products for on-road use (Statistics Canada, 2016). Despite this situation, Canada has accepted to reduce its GHG emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030 under the 2015 Paris agreement (Environment Canada, 2016). This emissions reduction goal, however, is unlikely to happen without transitioning to carbon-free alternatives, such as electric vehicles, for daily transportation. Despite many advancements in electric mobility, Canada still lags many other countries with respect to electric vehicle (EV) adoption among private consumers. To address this issue, the present dissertation discusses details of a survey that was developed to investigate electric mobility prospects in Canada through a series of socioeconomic, attitudinal, and stated preference (SP) questions. The acronym “SPACE” (Survey for Preferences and Attitudes of Canadians towards Electric Vehicles) is used for the purpose of present thesis to identify the survey instrument. The SPACE dataset is then utilized to conduct econometric analyses (latent class modelling approach) of vehicle powertrain in Atlantic Canada, a lagging region in terms of EV uptake, and to compare results with those obtained for leading adoption provinces (Ontario and British Columbia). This comparison highlights potential differences and similarities in terms of openness towards EVs and willingness to pay for different vehicular features of EVs. The thesis also investigates economic suitability of battery electric vehicles (BEV) for Canadian households to gain insights on characteristics of households for whom adopting a BEV would make economic sense. Results of econometric analysis indicate that despite the very low penetration level of EVs, there is widespread openness to the idea of electric vehicles in Atlantic Canada, although less than leading adoption provinces. The main obstacles to the widespread adoption of EVs in Atlantic Canada can be explained as higher purchase prices of EVs relative to internal combustion engines (ICE), current and historical absence of financial incentives, limited exposure to EV, and inadequate charging stations. With economic suitability analysis, it was found that even with today’s electric vehicles present in the market, that are considered to have high purchase price, a sizable share of Canadian households (18%) are economically suited to buy a battery electric vehicle. A bivariate ordered probit model is also utilized in the thesis to estimate annual mileage and vehicle ownership time, the most influential factors on economic suitability of BEVs. The bivariate probit model results show that multi-vehicle households with children in the suburbs have higher mileages, while education and income have positive impacts on both annual mileage and ownership time, and thus on increasing the economic suitability of BEVs. Together, results of present thesis would help policy makers and stakeholders to make targeted decisions regarding EV marketing in Canada, especially in lagging adoption regions like Atlantic Canada. |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/23895 |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
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Elnaz Abotalebi_PHD Thesis_Revised 2019_Final.pdf | 2.35 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open | |
Elnaz Abotalebi_PHD Thesis_Revised 2019_Final.docx | 1.82 MB | Microsoft Word XML | View/Open |
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