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Do vehicle efficiency improvements lead to energy savings? The rebound effect in Great Britain

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  • Craglia, Matteo
  • Cullen, Jonathan

Abstract

Fuel efficiency improvements in vehicles reduce the cost of travel, which could stimulate drivers to travel further limiting energy savings. Estimates of this effect, known as the rebound effect, have varied widely, partly due to data constraints and a reliance upon highly aggregated government statistics. This paper instead uses a dataset of over 275 million vehicle roadworthiness tests. The high level of detail in our dataset can reveal, for the first time, how the response to changes in travel costs may differ across types of vehicles and socio-economic areas in Great Britain.

Suggested Citation

  • Craglia, Matteo & Cullen, Jonathan, 2020. "Do vehicle efficiency improvements lead to energy savings? The rebound effect in Great Britain," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:88:y:2020:i:c:s0140988320301158
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2020.104775
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Zha, Donglan & Chen, Qian & Wang, Lijun, 2022. "Exploring carbon rebound effects in Chinese households’ consumption: A simulation analysis based on a multi-regional input–output framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    6. Galvin, Ray & Martulli, Alessandro & Ruzzenenti, Franco, 2021. "Does power curb energy efficiency? Evidence from two decades of European truck tests," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    7. Chen, Qian & Zha, Donglan & Salman, Muhammad, 2022. "The influence of carbon tax on CO2 rebound effect and welfare in Chinese households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    8. Li, Guohao & Niu, Miaomiao & Xiao, Jin & Wu, Jiaqian & Li, Jinkai, 2023. "The rebound effect of decarbonization in China’s power sector under the carbon trading scheme," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    9. Abudureheman, Maliyamu & Jiang, Qingzhe & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Cong, 2022. "Spatial effects of dynamic comprehensive energy efficiency on CO2 reduction in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    10. Rongxin Wu & Boqiang Lin, 2022. "Does Energy Efficiency Realize Energy Conservation in the Iron and Steel Industry? A Perspective of Energy Rebound Effect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-20, September.
    11. Lisa Winkler & Drew Pearce & Jenny Nelson & Oytun Babacan, 2023. "The effect of sustainable mobility transition policies on cumulative urban transport emissions and energy demand," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Jaehn, Florian & Meissner, Finn, 2022. "The rebound effect in transportation," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    13. Josse Delfgaauw & Otto Swank, 2023. "The Gasoline Climate Trap," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 23-025/VII, Tinbergen Institute.
    14. Cansino, José M. & Ordóñez, Manuel & Prieto, Manuela, 2022. "Decomposition and measurement of the rebound effect: The case of energy efficiency improvements in Spain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).

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