IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v90y2020icp31-38.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Transition towards sustainable transportation – What determines fuel choice?

Author

Listed:
  • Andersson, Linda
  • Ek, Kristina
  • Kastensson, Åsa
  • Wårell, Linda

Abstract

For the transport sector to become more sustainable, substantial technological and behavioural changes are required. Increased understanding about household choices related to more green alternatives in transportation is needed in order for policy makers to make efficient policies in the future. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze which factors that determines the fuel choice between ethanol and gasoline for owners of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). We evaluate how the self-reported fuel choice is influenced by the relative price, as well as individual differences in norms and perceptions about environmental and quality attributes of ethanol. Data was collected through a survey sent to Swedish FFV owners and is analyzed in a binary choice and a LCM framework. Results show that price, perceptions about quality, age and environmental attitudes influence the self-reported willingness to choose ethanol. Furthermore, results show that preferences are not homogenous, three groups are identified; price conscious respondents, ethanol skeptical respondents and respondents with pronounced environmental concern. However, although the motive for introducing and subsidizing ethanol was to reduce climate and environmental impacts, the group that chooses ethanol based on climate and environmental motives is small. The results further reveal that the debate about motor damages from ethanol have had a long lasting effect on the willingness to choose ethanol. Thus, it is necessary to try to prevent or mitigate concerns regarding e.g. potential technical or ethical issues when promoting future technologies or fuels aimed at a sustainable transportation sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Andersson, Linda & Ek, Kristina & Kastensson, Åsa & Wårell, Linda, 2020. "Transition towards sustainable transportation – What determines fuel choice?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 31-38.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:90:y:2020:i:c:p:31-38
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.02.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X19301830
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.02.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bergstad, Cecilia Jakobsson & Gamble, Amelie & Hagman, Olle & Polk, Merritt & Gärling, Tommy & Olsson, Lars E., 2011. "Affective–symbolic and instrumental–independence psychological motives mediating effects of socio-demographic variables on daily car use," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 33-38.
    2. Anderson, Soren T., 2012. "The demand for ethanol as a gasoline substitute," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 151-168.
    3. Nyborg, Karine & Howarth, Richard B. & Brekke, Kjell Arne, 2006. "Green consumers and public policy: On socially contingent moral motivation," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 351-366, November.
    4. Lisa Ryan & Hal Turton, 2007. "Sustainable Automobile Transport," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12842.
    5. Pouliot, Sébastien & Babcock, Bruce A., 2017. "Feasibility of meeting increased biofuel mandates with E85," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 194-200.
    6. Brekke, Kjell Arne & Kverndokk, Snorre & Nyborg, Karine, 2003. "An economic model of moral motivation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(9-10), pages 1967-1983, September.
    7. Ciaian, Pavel & Kancs, d'Artis, 2011. "Food, energy and environment: Is bioenergy the missing link?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 571-580, October.
    8. Salvo, Alberto & Huse, Cristian, 2013. "Build it, but will they come? Evidence from consumer choice between gasoline and sugarcane ethanol," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 251-279.
    9. Greene, William H. & Hensher, David A., 2003. "A latent class model for discrete choice analysis: contrasts with mixed logit," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 681-698, September.
    10. Proost, Stef & Van Dender, Kurt, 2012. "Energy and environment challenges in the transport sector," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 77-87.
    11. Kelvin J. Lancaster, 1966. "A New Approach to Consumer Theory," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 74, pages 132-132.
    12. Collantes, Gustavo, 2010. "Do green tech policies need to pass the consumer test?: The case of ethanol fuel," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1235-1244, November.
    13. Eugene E. Ezebilo & Mattias Boman & Leif Mattsson & Anders Lindhagen & Werner Mbongo, 2015. "Preferences and willingness to pay for close to home nature for outdoor recreation in Sweden," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 283-296, February.
    14. Pouliot, Sébastien & Babcock, Bruce A., 2014. "The demand for E85: Geographical location and retail capacity constraints," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 134-143.
    15. Johan Jansson, 2011. "Consumer eco‐innovation adoption: assessing attitudinal factors and perceived product characteristics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 192-210, March.
    16. Newbery, David & Strbac, Goran, 2016. "What is needed for battery electric vehicles to become socially cost competitive?," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 5(C), pages 1-11.
    17. Petrolia, Daniel R. & Bhattacharjee, Sanjoy & Hudson, Darren & Herndon, Cary W., 2010. "Do Americans want ethanol? A comparative contingent-valuation study of willingness to pay for E-10 and E-85," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 121-128, January.
    18. Ek, Kristina & Söderholm, Patrik, 2008. "Norms and economic motivation in the Swedish green electricity market," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1-2), pages 169-182, December.
    19. Teresa Serra & David Zilberman & José M. Gil & Barry K. Goodwin, 2011. "Nonlinearities in the U.S. corn‐ethanol‐oil‐gasoline price system," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 42(1), pages 35-45, January.
    20. Birol, Ekin & Karousakis, Katia & Koundouri, Phoebe, 2006. "Using a choice experiment to account for preference heterogeneity in wetland attributes: The case of Cheimaditida wetland in Greece," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 145-156, November.
    21. Wang, Xuehong & Bennett, Jeff & Xie, Chen & Zhang, Zhitao & Liang, Dan, 2007. "Estimating non-market environmental benefits of the Conversion of Cropland to Forest and Grassland Program: A choice modeling approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 114-125, June.
    22. Pacini, Henrique & Silveira, Semida, 2011. "Consumer choice between ethanol and gasoline: Lessons from Brazil and Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 6936-6942.
    23. Adam J. Liska & Haishun S. Yang & Virgil R. Bremer & Terry J. Klopfenstein & Daniel T. Walters & Galen E. Erickson & Kenneth G. Cassman, 2009. "Improvements in Life Cycle Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn‐Ethanol," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 13(1), pages 58-74, February.
    24. Kosenius, Anna-Kaisa, 2010. "Heterogeneous preferences for water quality attributes: The Case of eutrophication in the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 528-538, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Aloisio S. Nascimento Filho & Rafael G. O. dos Santos & João Gabriel A. Calmon & Peterson A. Lobato & Marcelo A. Moret & Thiago B. Murari & Hugo Saba, 2022. "Induction of a Consumption Pattern for Ethanol and Gasoline in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-11, July.
    2. Teixeira, Ana Carolina Rodrigues & Machado, Pedro Gerber & Borges, Raquel Rocha & Mouette, Dominique, 2020. "Public policies to implement alternative fuels in the road transport sector," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 345-361.
    3. Istiak Ahmad & Fahad Alqurashi & Ehab Abozinadah & Rashid Mehmood, 2022. "Deep Journalism and DeepJournal V1.0: A Data-Driven Deep Learning Approach to Discover Parameters for Transportation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-72, May.
    4. Jiranyakul, Komain, 2022. "Ethanol Use and Gasoline Consumption in Thailand," MPRA Paper 115503, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aloisio S. Nascimento Filho & Rafael G. O. dos Santos & João Gabriel A. Calmon & Peterson A. Lobato & Marcelo A. Moret & Thiago B. Murari & Hugo Saba, 2022. "Induction of a Consumption Pattern for Ethanol and Gasoline in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-11, July.
    2. Luo, Jinjing & Moschini, GianCarlo, 2019. "Pass-through of the policy-induced E85 subsidy: Insights from Hotelling's model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Julia Blasch & Robert W. Turner, 2016. "Environmental art, prior knowledge about climate change, and carbon offsets," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 6(4), pages 691-705, December.
    4. Liao, Kenneth & Pouliot, Sébastien, 2016. "Estimates of the Demand for E85 Using Stated-Preference Data off Revealed-Preference Choices," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236107, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Michelsen, Carl Christian & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "Switching from fossil fuel to renewables in residential heating systems: An empirical study of homeowners' decisions in Germany," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 95-105.
    6. Kanchanaroek, Yingluk & Termansen, Mette & Quinn, Claire, 2013. "Property rights regimes in complex fishery management systems: A choice experiment application," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 363-373.
    7. Sébastien Pouliot & Kenneth A Liao & Bruce A Babcock, 2018. "Estimating Willingness to Pay for E85 in the United States Using an Intercept Survey of Flex Motorists," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 100(5), pages 1486-1509.
    8. Partha Dasgupta & Dale Southerton & Alistair Ulph & David Ulph, 2016. "Consumer Behaviour with Environmental and Social Externalities: Implications for Analysis and Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 65(1), pages 191-226, September.
    9. Litvine, Dorian & Wüstenhagen, Rolf, 2011. "Helping "light green" consumers walk the talk: Results of a behavioural intervention survey in the Swiss electricity market," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 462-474, January.
    10. Hage, Olle & Söderholm, Patrik & Berglund, Christer, 2009. "Norms and economic motivation in household recycling: Empirical evidence from Sweden," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 155-165.
    11. Julia Blasch & Mehdi Farsi, 2012. "Retail demand for voluntary carbon offsets - A choice experiment among Swiss consumers," IED Working paper 12-18, IED Institute for Environmental Decisions, ETH Zurich.
    12. Viteri Mejía, César & Brandt, Sylvia, 2015. "Managing tourism in the Galapagos Islands through price incentives: A choice experiment approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 1-11.
    13. Chiadmi, Ines & Traoré, Sidnoma Abdoul Aziz & Salles, Jean-Michel, 2020. "Asian tiger mosquito far from home: Assessing the impact of invasive mosquitoes on the French Mediterranean littoral," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    14. Kundu, Nobinkhor, 2014. "Sustainable energy for Development: Access to finance on renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies for Bangladesh," MPRA Paper 65154, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 20 Jun 2014.
    15. Tadesse, Tewodros & Berhane, Tsegay & Mulatu, Dawit W. & Rannestad, Meley Mekonen, 2021. "Willingness to accept compensation for afromontane forest ecosystems conservation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    16. Li, Jing & Stock, James H., 2019. "Cost pass-through to higher ethanol blends at the pump: Evidence from Minnesota gas station data," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 1-19.
    17. Sebastien Pouliot & Bruce A. Babcock, 2014. "Impact of Ethanol Mandates on Fuel Prices when Ethanol and Gasoline are Imperfect Substitutes," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 14-wp551, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    18. Kermagoret, Charlène & Levrel, Harold & Carlier, Antoine & Dachary-Bernard, Jeanne, 2016. "Individual preferences regarding environmental offset and welfare compensation: a choice experiment application to an offshore wind farm project," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 230-240.
    19. Sophal Chhun & Paul Thorsnes & Henrik Moller, 2013. "Preferences for Management of Near-Shore Marine Ecosystems: A Choice Experiment in New Zealand," Resources, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-33, September.
    20. Stephan Müller & Georg Wangenheim, 2017. "The impact of market innovations on the dissemination of social norms: the sustainability case," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 663-690, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:90:y:2020:i:c:p:31-38. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.