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On the way or around the corner? Observed refueling choices of alternative-fuel drivers in Southern California

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  • Kelley, Scott
  • Kuby, Michael

Abstract

Limited refueling infrastructure is an oft-cited barrier to alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) adoption, but empirical data on AFV driver refueling behavior are rare. To address this need, we surveyed 259 drivers of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in Southern California at five stations across the metropolitan area. The key survey questions concerned the stops immediately before and after refueling and the driver’s home location. Using GIS, we analyze the least travel-time routes and the station chosen to provide insight into what drivers consider to be their most convenient refueling location. Specifically, we focus on whether they select stations nearest to home or on routes that require the least deviation. When faced with a choice between the two—that is, when no station satisfies both criteria—we found that ten times as many CNG drivers selected the station most on their way between their origin and destination than chose the station closest to their home. This finding supports the notion that optimal location models for planning early AFV refueling infrastructures should maximize convenience by serving the routes that drivers use frequently rather than their home locations, and that locations near high-volume roads may be ideal candidates for early station sites.

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  • Kelley, Scott & Kuby, Michael, 2013. "On the way or around the corner? Observed refueling choices of alternative-fuel drivers in Southern California," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 258-267.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:33:y:2013:i:c:p:258-267
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2013.08.008
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    2. Yueyue Fan & Allen Lee & Nathan Parker & Daniel Scheitrum & Rosa Dominguez-Faus & Amy Myers Jaffe & Kenneth Medlock III, 2017. "Geospatial, Temporal and Economic Analysis of Alternative Fuel Infrastructure: The case of freight and U.S. natural gas markets," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 6).
    3. Lin, Cheng-Chang & Lin, Chuan-Chih, 2018. "The p-center flow-refueling facility location problem," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 124-142.
    4. Chengxiang Zhuge & Chunfu Shao & Xia Li, 2019. "A Comparative Study of En Route Refuelling Behaviours of Conventional and Electric Vehicles in Beijing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-21, July.
    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. Kuby, Michael, 2019. "The opposite of ubiquitous: How early adopters of fast-filling alt-fuel vehicles adapt to the sparsity of stations," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 46-57.
    7. Ogden, Joan & Jaffe, Amy Myers & Scheitrum, Daniel & McDonald, Zane & Miller, Marshall, 2018. "Natural gas as a bridge to hydrogen transportation fuel: Insights from the literature," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 317-329.
    8. Jee Eun Kang & Will Recker, 2015. "Strategic Hydrogen Refueling Station Locations with Scheduling and Routing Considerations of Individual Vehicles," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 767-783, November.
    9. Pramono, Ari & Oppewal, Harmen, 2021. "Where to refuel: Modeling on-the-way choice of convenience outlet," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    10. Scott Kelley, 2018. "Driver Use and Perceptions of Refueling Stations Near Freeways in a Developing Infrastructure for Alternative Fuel Vehicles," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-18, November.
    11. Yueyue Fan & Allen Lee & Nathan Parkerf & Daniel Scheitrum & Amy Myers Jaffe & Rosa Dominguez-Faus & Kenneth Medlock III, 2017. "Geospatial, Temporal and Economic Analysis of Alternative Fuel Infrastructure: The Case of Freight and U.S. Natural Gas Markets," The Energy Journal, , vol. 38(6), pages 199-230, November.
    12. Joonho Ko & Tae-Hyoung Tommy Gim & Randall Guensler, 2017. "Locating refuelling stations for alternative fuel vehicles: a review on models and applications," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(5), pages 551-570, September.
    13. Tran, Trung Hieu & Nagy, Gábor & Nguyen, Thu Ba T. & Wassan, Niaz A., 2018. "An efficient heuristic algorithm for the alternative-fuel station location problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 269(1), pages 159-170.
    14. Kelley, Scott & Kuby, Michael, 2017. "Decentralized refueling of compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet vehicles in Southern California," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 350-359.

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