Developing a Vehicle Cost Calculator to Promote Electric Vehicle Adoption among TNC Drivers

This research will develop a total cost of ownership (TCO) model and online vehicle cost calculator (VCC) for transport network company (TNC) drivers. Many VCCs have been developed to support consumers in calculating the relative costs of electric and gas vehicles, but their design and the TCO models that underlie them are geared toward traditional vehicle ownership. The characteristics of the gig economy, including income variability, can make the decision to adopt an expensive and evolving vehicle technology like electric vehicles (EVs) harder for TNC drivers, and alternative vehicle acquisition models are being explored to fit this market (e.g., short-term rentals). This research will build a TCO model that accounts for alternative vehicle acquisition types and captures all the relevant parameters for total cost of driving (TCD) for the TNC use case. A VCC that uses this TCO model will be designed based on user research with TNC drivers, e.g., it may highlight particular EV models or acquisition modes (e.g., leasing or renting) that would increase their earning potential, and/or articulate the vehicle use conditions under which a preferred EV model would result in better TCO compared to a given conventional or hybrid gas car.

• Record URL:
  https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/developing-vehicle-cost-calculator-promote-electric-vehicle-adoption-among-tnc-drivers

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $100000
• Contract Numbers:

  DOT 69A3551747114

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of California, Davis

  1 Shields Ave
  Davis, California  United States  95616
• Project Managers:

  Iacobucci, Lauren

• Performing Organizations:

  National Center for Sustainable Transportation

  University of California, Davis
  Davis, CA  United States 

  University of California, Davis

  1 Shields Ave
  Davis, California  United States  95616
• Principal Investigators:

  Sanguinetti, Angela

  Chakraborty, Debapriya

  Amenta, Nina

  Alston-Stepnitz, Eli

• Start Date: 20211001
• Expected Completion Date: 20220930
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile ownership; Costs; Drivers; Electric automobiles; Promotion; Ridesourcing
• Subject Areas: Energy; Finance; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01779925
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
• Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3551747114
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 27 2021 1:50PM