IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v249y2019icp222-236.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What fuels the adoption of alternative fuels? Examining preferences of German car drivers for fuel innovations

Author

Listed:
  • Linzenich, Anika
  • Arning, Katrin
  • Bongartz, Dominik
  • Mitsos, Alexander
  • Ziefle, Martina

Abstract

In the search for sustainable transport solutions, fuel production from renewable resources has received significant attention. Some proposed synthetic fuels have favorable combustion properties compared to existing fuels, e.g., significant reductions in pollutant formation. However, penetration of such fuels requires a favorable social acceptance, as demonstrated by the consumer boycott of the ethanol-blend fuel with 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline (E10) in Germany. Therefore, the consumer perspective and their preferences regarding alternative fuels should be considered in the fuel design. We use conjoint methodology to analyze the preferences of German car drivers for alternative fuels. This aims at understanding which criteria determine consumer preferences and usage decisions. Among the five considered fuel attributes (fuel availability, driving range, pollutant emissions, fuel costs, and usage requirements to enable the use of alternative fuels), fuel costs had the highest decision impact for alternative fuel preferences, followed by fuel availability and usage requirements. Pollutant emissions had the lowest impact on alternative fuel choices. A market simulation of conventional diesel and alternative fuels (dimethyl ether (DME) and a blend of diesel with oxymethylene dimethyl ethers (OME)) revealed that currently a large majority of car drivers would prefer conventional fossil fuel options, indicating a currently low consumer demand for alternative fuels. Thus, the findings demonstrate the importance of integrating social acceptance as an objective function in the design of novel fuels and production processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Linzenich, Anika & Arning, Katrin & Bongartz, Dominik & Mitsos, Alexander & Ziefle, Martina, 2019. "What fuels the adoption of alternative fuels? Examining preferences of German car drivers for fuel innovations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C), pages 222-236.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:249:y:2019:i:c:p:222-236
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.041
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030626191930666X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.041?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. Hidrue, Michael K. & Parsons, George R. & Kempton, Willett & Gardner, Meryl P., 2011. "Willingness to pay for electric vehicles and their attributes," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 686-705, September.
    2. von Rosenstiel, Dirk Peters & Heuermann, Daniel F. & Hüsig, Stefan, 2015. "Why has the introduction of natural gas vehicles failed in Germany?—Lessons on the role of market failure in markets for alternative fuel vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 91-101.
    3. Loureiro, Maria L. & Labandeira, Xavier & Hanemann, Michael, 2013. "Transport and low-carbon fuel: A study of public preferences in Spain," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(S1), pages 126-133.
    4. Winden, Matthew & Cruze, Nathan & Haab, Tim & Bakshi, Bhavik, 2014. "Integrating life-cycle assessment and choice analysis for alternative fuel valuation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 83-93.
    5. Savvanidou, Electra & Zervas, Efthimios & Tsagarakis, Konstantinos P., 2010. "Public acceptance of biofuels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 3482-3488, July.
    6. Bunch, David S. & Bradley, Mark & Golob, Thomas F. & Kitamura, Ryuichi & Occhiuzzo, Gareth P., 1993. "Demand for clean-fuel vehicles in California: A discrete-choice stated preference pilot project," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 237-253, May.
    7. Hoen, Anco & Koetse, Mark J., 2014. "A choice experiment on alternative fuel vehicle preferences of private car owners in the Netherlands," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 199-215.
    8. Matias D. Cattaneo & Xinwei Ma & Yusufcan Masatlioglu & Elchin Suleymanov, 2020. "A Random Attention Model," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(7), pages 2796-2836.
    9. Wustenhagen, Rolf & Wolsink, Maarten & Burer, Mary Jean, 2007. "Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2683-2691, May.
    10. Schweizer-Ries, Petra, 2008. "Energy sustainable communities: Environmental psychological investigations," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 4126-4135, November.
    11. Wang, Fangfang & Ma, Chunsheng, 2019. "ℓ1-symmetric vector random fields," Stochastic Processes and their Applications, Elsevier, vol. 129(7), pages 2466-2484.
    12. Hackbarth, André & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "Willingness-to-pay for alternative fuel vehicle characteristics: A stated choice study for Germany," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 89-111.
    13. Martin Achtnicht, 2012. "German car buyers’ willingness to pay to reduce CO 2 emissions," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 679-697, August.
    14. Byun, Hyunsuk & Shin, Jungwoo & Lee, Chul-Yong, 2018. "Using a discrete choice experiment to predict the penetration possibility of environmentally friendly vehicles," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 312-321.
    15. Tanaka, Makoto & Ida, Takanori & Murakami, Kayo & Friedman, Lee, 2014. "Consumers’ willingness to pay for alternative fuel vehicles: A comparative discrete choice analysis between the US and Japan," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 194-209.
    16. Vithala R. Rao, 2014. "Applied Conjoint Analysis," Springer Books, Springer, edition 127, number 978-3-540-87753-0, June.
    17. Guo, Mingxin & Song, Weiping & Buhain, Jeremy, 2015. "Bioenergy and biofuels: History, status, and perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 712-725.
    18. Van de Velde, Liesbeth & Verbeke, Wim & Popp, Michael & Buysse, Jeroen & Van Huylenbroeck, Guido, 2009. "Perceived importance of fuel characteristics and its match with consumer beliefs about biofuels in Belgium," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 3183-3193, August.
    19. Jose J. Soto & Victor Cantillo & Julian Arellana, 2018. "Incentivizing alternative fuel vehicles: the influence of transport policies, attitudes and perceptions," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 1721-1753, November.
    20. Ziegler, Andreas, 2012. "Individual characteristics and stated preferences for alternative energy sources and propulsion technologies in vehicles: A discrete choice analysis for Germany," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(8), pages 1372-1385.
    21. Caulfield, Brian & Farrell, Séona & McMahon, Brian, 2010. "Examining individuals preferences for hybrid electric and alternatively fuelled vehicles," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 381-387, November.
    22. Bongartz, Dominik & Doré, Larissa & Eichler, Katharina & Grube, Thomas & Heuser, Benedikt & Hombach, Laura E. & Robinius, Martin & Pischinger, Stefan & Stolten, Detlef & Walther, Grit & Mitsos, Alexan, 2018. "Comparison of light-duty transportation fuels produced from renewable hydrogen and green carbon dioxide," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 757-767.
    23. W. Neil Adger & Jon Barnett & Katrina Brown & Nadine Marshall & Karen O'Brien, 2013. "Cultural dimensions of climate change impacts and adaptation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(2), pages 112-117, February.
    24. Koetse, Mark J. & Hoen, Anco, 2014. "Preferences for alternative fuel vehicles of company car drivers," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 279-301.
    25. Feng Hu & Jin-Li Guo & Fa-Xu Li & Hai-Xing Zhao, 2019. "Hypernetwork models based on random hypergraphs," International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 30(08), pages 1-15, August.
    26. Brynolf, Selma & Taljegard, Maria & Grahn, Maria & Hansson, Julia, 2018. "Electrofuels for the transport sector: A review of production costs," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 1887-1905.
    27. Yilmaz, Nadir & Atmanli, Alpaslan, 2017. "Sustainable alternative fuels in aviation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P2), pages 1378-1386.
    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. Rodrigues Teixeira, Ana Carolina & Machado, Pedro Gerber & Borges, Raquel Rocha & Felipe Brito, Thiago Luis & Moutinho dos Santos, Edmilson & Mouette, Dominique, 2021. "The use of liquefied natural gas as an alternative fuel in freight transport – Evidence from a driver's point of view," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    2. Offermann-van Heek, Julia & Arning, Katrin & Sternberg, André & Bardow, André & Ziefle, Martina, 2020. "Assessing public acceptance of the life cycle of CO2-based fuels: Does information make the difference?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    3. Gnann, T. & Speth, D. & Seddig, K. & Stich, M. & Schade, W. & Gómez Vilchez, J.J., 2022. "How to integrate real-world user behavior into models of the market diffusion of alternative fuels in passenger cars - An in-depth comparison of three models for Germany," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Ishengoma, Esther K. & Gabriel, Genoveva, 2021. "Factors influencing the payment of costs of converting oil-to CNG-fuelled cars in a market dominated by used-cars," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    5. Kelley, Scott & Krafft, Aimee & Kuby, Michael & Lopez, Oscar & Stotts, Rhian & Liu, Jingteng, 2020. "How early hydrogen fuel cell vehicle adopters geographically evaluate a network of refueling stations in California," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Heck, Janine & Jahnke, Lars & Leker, Jens, 2024. "Early evidence of a transition towards sustainability-oriented decision-making in the chemical industry in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: A choice-based conjoint analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    7. Arning, K. & Offermann-van Heek, J. & Ziefle, M., 2021. "What drives public acceptance of sustainable CO2-derived building materials? A conjoint-analysis of eco-benefits vs. health concerns," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    8. Michels, Marius & Bonke, Vanessa & Wever, Hendrik & Musshoff, Oliver, 2024. "Understanding farmers' intention to buy alternative fuel tractors in German agriculture applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    9. Natalia Duarte Forero & Donovan Arango Barrios & Jorge Duarte Forero, 2019. "Overview of Potential Use of Hydroxyl and Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel in Colombia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(6), pages 525-534.
    10. Agnieszka Dudziak & Jacek Caban & Ondrej Stopka & Monika Stoma & Marie Sejkorová & Mária Stopková, 2023. "Vehicle Market Analysis of Drivers’ Preferences in Terms of the Propulsion Systems: The Czech Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-20, March.
    11. Ruslans Smigins & Arturs Zakis, 2020. "Impact of Diethyl Ether/Rapeseed Oil Blends on Performance and Emissions of a Light-Duty Diesel Vehicle," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-11, July.
    12. Madhusudhan Adhikari & Laxman Prasad Ghimire & Yeonbae Kim & Prakash Aryal & Sundar Bahadur Khadka, 2020. "Identification and Analysis of Barriers against Electric Vehicle Use," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-20, June.
    13. Jabeen, Gul & Ahmad, Munir & Zhang, Qingyu, 2021. "Perceived critical factors affecting consumers’ intention to purchase renewable generation technologies: Rural-urban heterogeneity," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    14. Simone Wurster & Rita Schulze, 2020. "Consumers’ Acceptance of a Bio-circular Automotive Economy: Explanatory Model and Influence Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, March.

    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. Gabriela D. Oliveira & Luis C. Dias, 2019. "Influence of Demographics on Consumer Preferences for Alternative Fuel Vehicles: A Review of Choice Modelling Studies and a Study in Portugal," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-33, January.
    2. Hackbarth, André & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "Willingness-to-pay for alternative fuel vehicle characteristics: A stated choice study for Germany," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 89-111.
    3. Danielis, Romeo & Scorrano, Mariangela & Giansoldati, Marco & Rotaris, Lucia, 2019. "A meta-analysis of the importance of the driving range in consumers’ preference studies for battery electric vehicles," Working Papers 19_2, SIET Società Italiana di Economia dei Trasporti e della Logistica.
    4. Elnaz Abotalebi & Mark R. Ferguson & Moataz Mohamed & Darren M. Scott, 2020. "Design of a survey to assess prospects for consumer electric mobility in Canada: a retrospective appraisal," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 1223-1250, June.
    5. Bigerna, S. & Bollino, C.A. & Micheli, S. & Polinori, P., 2017. "Revealed and stated preferences for CO2 emissions reduction: The missing link," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 68(P2), pages 1213-1221.
    6. Jose J. Soto & Victor Cantillo & Julian Arellana, 2018. "Incentivizing alternative fuel vehicles: the influence of transport policies, attitudes and perceptions," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 1721-1753, November.
    7. Michaela V. Gerhardt & Elke D. Kanberger & Andreas Ziegler, 2023. "The Relevance of Life-Cycle CO2 Emissions for Vehicle Purchase Decisions: A Stated Choice Experiment for Germany," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202305, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    8. Milan Scasny & Milan Scasny & Iva Zverinova & Mikolaj Czajkowski, 2015. "Individual preference for the alternative fuel vehicles and their attributes in Poland," EcoMod2015 8575, EcoMod.
    9. Li, Wenbo & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Yang, Tong & Geng, Jichao & Yang, Muyi, 2018. "Effects of personal carbon trading on the decision to adopt battery electric vehicles: Analysis based on a choice experiment in Jiangsu, China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 478-488.
    10. Offermann-van Heek, Julia & Arning, Katrin & Sternberg, André & Bardow, André & Ziefle, Martina, 2020. "Assessing public acceptance of the life cycle of CO2-based fuels: Does information make the difference?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    11. Rosales-Tristancho, Abel & Carazo, Ana F. & Brey, Raúl, 2021. "A study of the willingness of Spanish drivers to pay a premium for ZEVs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    12. Bera, Reema & Maitra, Bhargab, 2021. "Assessing consumer preferences for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV): An Indian perspective," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    13. Dessi, F. & Ariccio, S. & Albers, T. & Alves, S. & Ludovico, N. & Bonaiuto, M., 2022. "Sustainable technology acceptability: Mapping technological, contextual, and social-psychological determinants of EU stakeholders’ biofuel acceptance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    14. Ko, Sungmin & Shin, Jungwoo, 2023. "Projection of fuel cell electric vehicle demand reflecting the feedback effects between market conditions and market share affected by spatial factors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    15. Sharma, Reema Bera & Majumdar, Bandhan Bandhu & Maitra, Bhargab, 2024. "Commuter and non-commuter preferences for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: A case study of Delhi and Kolkata, India," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    16. Rahmani, Djamel & Loureiro, Maria L., 2019. "Assessing drivers’ preferences for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in Spain," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 89-97.
    17. Jia, Wenjian & Chen, T. Donna, 2023. "Investigating heterogeneous preferences for plug-in electric vehicles: Policy implications from different choice models," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    18. Kwon, Yeongmin & Son, Sanghoon & Jang, Kitae, 2018. "Evaluation of incentive policies for electric vehicles: An experimental study on Jeju Island," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 404-412.
    19. Daan Hulshof & Machiel Mulder, 2020. "Willingness to Pay for $$\hbox {CO}_2$$CO2 Emission Reductions in Passenger Car Transport," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 75(4), pages 899-929, April.
    20. Loría, Luis Enrique & Watson, Verity & Kiso, Takahiko & Phimister, Euan, 2019. "Investigating users' preferences for Low Emission Buses: Experiences from Europe's largest hydrogen bus fleet," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 1-1.

    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:appene:v:249:y:2019:i:c:p:222-236. 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/405891/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.