Abstract:

The rapid growth of light-duty electric vehicles (EVs) in the past five years underscores the need for a sustainable transition in the U.S. transportation sector to mitigate climate change's impacts. This work aims to fill two existing gaps in the current literature: 1) investigate the positive and negative influences of the emerging EV transition within the U.S. market and 2) investigate the types of vehicles EVs are replacing. This study fulfills these objectives by utilizing a unique attribute dataset of all vehicles in Connecticut (USA) on the road between 2013-2020. The findings of study suggest that the penetration rate of traditional hybrid vehicles (e.g., Toyota Prius) is an important predictor of EV adoption. Furthermore, the results show that in Connecticut most of that transition is occurring among hatchbacks (e.g., Chevrolet Bolt), a body style where internal combustion engine (ICE) versions have relatively high fuel efficiencies compared with other major vehicle types (e.g., pickup trucks or SUVs). The results offer important implications for policymakers in terms of maximizing the deployment of EVs and EV infrastructure and the path in which the automotive sector is progressing towards decarbonization.